Call of Duty Modern Warfare was rightly lauded as one of the best titles on the XBox 360 when it was first released, but can the follow up Call of Duty World at War live up to the high standards that Modern Warfare has set for the series?

To be honest this is a true case of ‘time will tell’ if there ever was one, but the early indications are that Call of Duty World at War will not only match the level of Modern Warfare, but surpass it in almost every possible department.

The predecessor, Call of Duty Modern Warfare was such a success that it is very easy to over look the fact that it is now over one year old. Proof of it’s popularity if it was needed is there for all to see when entering the online multiplayer lobbies where you will still find loads of gamers just waiting for you to do battle with. This success has given Call of Duty World at War an exceptionally difficult task of living up to the new found reputation associated with the series as a whole.

The game begins as you find yourself in the middle of an escape attempt from the Japanese on the Makin Atoll locality. As you will have to come to expect from Call of Duty titles you will be broken into the game gently with a handy and highly useful introduction level - this time it involves you taking a pretty intense hike through some dense, dark looking jungle terrain and with guerrilla war-fare tactics being employed against you in these parts of the world, you are forced to keep your wits about you from the start as you never know where your enemies will emerge from.

You will find that the introduction level in Call of Duty World at War will bring you up to scratch on all of the main important commands that you will need to call upon during the open game play. As far as ‘tutorials’ go, you could expect very little else as this does a great job of teaching you the controls - and you will find them easy to remember and easy to master, which makes for a fantastic gameplay experience from the very beginning.

Without spoiling details of what exactly you can expect in terms of missions in Call of Duty World at War, it is safe to say the variety that you will experience as you progress through the game will satisfy even the most demanding gamers, as the different environments you encounter each throw up unique challenges keeping you on your toes and requiring you to adjust your approach to each situation that you face. There is no falling asleep in Call of Duty World at War, otherwise you die!

The environments are not only a joy to play and be part of, but a joy to behold too as every around you will look, sound and feel alive. The graphical detail is amazing with small touches like kicking up dust as you run creating a real sense of realism around you. The sound effects, as with all recent Call of Duty titles, can not be praised enough, you will really feel like you are in the middle of an intense fire fight time and time again as you play through Call of Duty World at War.

A new feature in Call of Duty World at War is the co-operative mode, which allows you to play through a campaign with a friend or sibling instead of going it completely alone. At first glimpse the split screen can annoy you as your surroundings are so impressive that it is a shame to have a large chunk of them cut out, but once you get to grips with focusing on what you are doing only, the co-operative mode can be a lot of fun and deeply immersive. Be warned though, it will cause arguments if your buddy takes a head shot when you were supposed to be covering their back - but that’s all part of the fun.

As you would expect, Call of Duty World at War offers multiplayer modes in abundance! Every mode that you would typically expect is there, with some minor twists applied to certain multiplayer modes which keep things fresh for multiplayer addicts. The online play seems to run smoothly, but you will at times notice slightly reduced frame-rates during games with high numbers of live players.

Call of Duty World at War is yet another incredibly impressive Call of Duty title, and does a whole lot more than live up to the hype that has surrounding it for the last few months leading up to it’s release. If you love shooters, you will love Call of Duty World at War - don’t miss this one.

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