Previous entries in the Call of Duty series have all been based around the Second World War.

Modern Warfare, as its name suggests, brings the action into present day, leaving you to deal with the reality of war in the 21st century, including the nightmare that is nuclear warfare.

The game sees co-operation between US Marines and British SAS, with you taking lead roles in both.

One particularly chilling episode is the flashback to Chernobyl just after the nuclear meltdown in 1986 - armed with a Geiger counter you must navigate your way around a deserted town, picking off enemies as you go.

There are moments when you’re simply inundated with baddies almost pleading to be shot at, but it’s up to you whether you grab your sniper and pick them off one by one, or simply get out the big guns and favour a less accurate approach to your killing.

One of the most impressive stages sees you in control of three guns in an AC-130 Gunship circling a village that’s swarming with enemy soldiers. With realistic background noise and terrifyingly realistic thermal imaging, it’s one stage you’ll want to repeat. Indeed, when you complete the game, it’s possible to switch to the Arcade mode and pick any of the levels to try and better your previous score.

Where Call of Duty 4 really excels is in its online multiplayer arena, with a range of game modes, including Free-for-All, Team Deathmatch and Search and Destroy to keep you entertained. Newcomers will have to earn a certain number of points before they can pick and choose which weapons they can use, but it doesn’t take long. There are five preset classes and, once you earn enough points, you can create your own class comprising the weapons that suit your style of game play best.

Rack up enough consecutive kills and you’ll be rewarded with the ability to call air strikes and helicopter attacks; if timed correctly, these can dra matically increase your score.

With both sides wearing similar coloured uniforms, it can often be difficult to tell friend from foe, but this only adds to the realism. We also prefer the PC’s mouse and keyboard controls compared to the controllers used by consoles, although some will no doubt say using a mouse to aim and fire makes things too easy.

Any criticisms we can level at Call of Duty 4 are minor. If played in novice mode, you’ll find that you whiz through the different stages far too quickly, with the end credits appearing all too soon - we managed to complete it in around five hours at the easiest setting. Switch to Veteran mode and it will take you longer, but not much more than 10 hours. And, although impressive, the artificial intelligence of enemy soldiers could also be worked on.

If there’s one recurring feature in the Call of Duty series it’s the game’s ability to stir up feelings of just how abhorrent war is. In the Word War II series the personal stories attached to each mission actually got you thinking about what it must be like to be caught up in such a conflict, and Call of Duty 4 is no different. Of course, you soon forget about all this when presented with a tantalising selection of weapons, but it does set it apart from other first-person shooters currently available.

With stunning graphics, a gripping storyline and some truly unexpected moments, Call of Duty 4 more than lives up to the hype. And while the single-player experience ends all too quickly, the variety of online multiplayer modes will keep you entertained throughout 2008.