Games review: Golden Eye

A sequel to Nintendo 64 classic GoldenEye was never going to sit well with long-time fans. After all, it's an incredibly difficult act to follow. So instead, Activision and developer Eurocom have reimagined the original, replacing Pierce Brosnan with Daniel Craig, modernising the plot and enhancing the elements that made the original so iconic.

Like its predecessor, this is a first-person shooter, although it now has more in common with Activision's own Call of Duty series. Opening on the infamous Russian dam stage from the original, players must attempt to navigate the heavily guarded compound. Once Bond's cover is blown, all hell breaks loose. The developer has fully respected the legacy of the original ensuring the action is relentless, the shooting solid and the gameplay incredibly slick.

Multiplayer again proves the star attraction - deathmatches are a real blast from the past, especially in four-player split-screen mode, where the action never stops. Players are free to tweak a generous amount of parameters to alter the rules of each mode, right up to gun load-outs, and the physical proportions of players. It's the same degree of deep customisation that was present in the 1997 version and, as such, it's an essential for those with fond memories of the original.

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This article was first published in The Scotsman on December 4, 2010