So is it all just running around killing people then?
Pretty much. There are some 26 levels to the game, spanning 10 missions in which you're a 'consultant' working for the US government to do the dirty work they can't be seen to be doing. Essentially, a terrorist gang have stolen four nuclear weapons and your job's to track them down and recover them before the gang get a chance to use 'em. Whichever way you look at it though, essentially you're just running around shooting people.

And I bet they're going heavy on the multiplayer aspects?
Certainly are. There's your normal Deathmatch and Capture the Flag modes, as well as Assassin and Arsenal modes. Assassin speaks for itself and Arsenal is a kind of King of the Hill, survive for as long as you can, mode. They should be great fun.

Did they get any kind of technical help with this?
They sure did. They recruited the services of one John Mullins, an ex-Special Forces operative who used to be a professional 'consultant'. John's given the guys lots of input on what a consultant would do in certain situations and how certain weapons would perform in real-life. Raven are keen to stress how this input has really given SOF an extra realistic edge. And from what we've seen, we're not about to argue with them.

Blimey! It all sounds very covert...
You didn't hear any of this from us, right?

* 26 places to hurt someone
* Looks fabulous
* Strong multiplayer element
* You can turn off the excessive violence
* This genre's getting mighty crowded