The campaigns are the only real disappointment, each being no more than a collection of missions that are related only by their location (snow, sand or jungle). After the successful completion of a particularly tough assignment, it would be nice to feel as though you'd actually made a difference to the war. Sadly, this is not the case.

However, F-22 Lightning 3's real selling point is of the multiplayer variety. Using NovaLogic's proprietary NovaWorld server, Internet play is simplicity itself and you'll rarely be plagued by excessive lag times. There are three types of multiplayer action to be had - deathmatch, RAW and co-operative. Deathmatch takes place in an imaginary circle about 80 miles across. Up to 128 players start at various runways positioned around the perimeter and meet up in the middle for some frantic 'furball' fights.

RAW sees players divided into two teams, the aim being to utterly devastate the opposing base. You can choose either a fighter or bomber payload, although choosing to carry mainly bombs means you'll have to rely on a fighter escort. This is great in theory, but in practice we found it hard to convince our allies to offer any protection on a bombing run.

The co-operative missions are a lot of fun, as you and up to seven friends tackle the computer in one of the specially created missions, especially when using Voice-Over-Net. Talking to your wingmen using the free (for a limited time) microphone headset is a joy, especially when they're sat in their bedrooms 10,000 miles away. They may as well be in the same building, not in Los Angeles, Israel, Australia or wherever. Clearing someone's 'six' may well prove to be the best way to find a pen pal.