An adventure built on the dubious thrills of picking-off unsuspecting Nazis with a long-range headshot, Sniper Elite is a dramatic departure from the relentless carnage and stellar body-counts of most console blasters.
Playing as an undercover Yankee agent in war-torn Berlin, the game forces players to actually think and act like a sniper; patience is required as you wait for loud noises to disguise the sound of your gunshots, paying attention to your surroundings is vital as you can take out several opponents if you explode the grenade hanging from a soldiers belt rather than taking on his comrades one-by-one, and at the harder difficulty settings you must take the wind direction and gravity into account before squeezing the trigger. Even your posture can make the difference between the perfect kill and a near-miss, players having to make their digtial sniper hold his breath to remove the smallest shake from the sniper scope.
Intelligent enemies wholl quickly work out where youre hiding and the opportunity to fend off rivals with a machine gun when youre cornered also make Sniper Elite a thrilling romp, but its a beautifully-realised vision of the crumbling streets of 1945 Berlin that really make the game stand out from the crowd.