When you hear that a dictator backed by a huge army has invaded a small territory you may start to think, uh oh, they didn't take long to make a game out of that! Indeed, it does sound very similar to what a certain person did to a certain country not so long ago.
But before the accusations begin about cashing in, let me say that Hunter was formulated way before anything happened out in the Gulf. Hunter comes from the revamped Activision. This month sees them staging a comeback the likes of which would make even George Foreman think twice.
Just a matter of months ago it looked like Activision were to be a name of the past, another of the glory boys who couldn't quite hack it. Well just to prove everybody is wrong, they've returned. With The Disk Company in France at the helm, Activision are back in business and out to impress.
In Hunter, a small but strategically important group of islands has been invaded by an army of some considerable strength. Your commanders do not want to risk a full-
So they decide that intelligence gathering, sabotage and small attacks are the way to weaken the enemy, enough before attempting further escalation. This is where you come in. You are one of a new breed of soldier, trained in undercover work and all forms of combat.
Chosen to undertake the missions deep in the heart of enemy territory, you find yourself working alone behind enemy lines where you have to keep your wits about you to survive, let alone complete your mission and make it back home. Before you start the mission you are given a briefing by your superiors in which they tell you what you have to do and how long you have to do it.
This ranges from a couple of hours to a couple of days - not real time I might add. After that you'll have to pop off to the stores to fill up your kitbag and away you go.
One of the things which makes Hunter so damn addictive is that regardless of which mission you are on there are no restrictions, apart from time, over how you do it. You can use whatever transport or equipment you like. This sense of freedom allows exploration and experimentation over transport and equipment mixes.
For example a typical mission could go like this. Fill up kitbag and grab ammo, ump in the car and head to the church. Nick the vicar's bike and go to the boat. Sail over to the next island and jump in the helicopter. Then fly over to enemy territory.
Land and raid some enemy buildings. Wear an enemy uniform and start talking to enemy soldiers. Nick an enemy's car and run him over. Then find your mission objective, blow it up and still be home in time for tea and Neighbours.
Or it could be completely different - that's the beauty of Hunter, so long as it's within the time limit anything goes. There are heaps of different modes of transport but each has its own problems - just try controlling the helicopter when it's at maximum thrust!
On completion of a mission you are awarded a bounty for your efforts - but if you don't like chocolate they'll give you money instead.
Hunter is very addictive with tons of missions, each requiring different skills and each like a game on its own. Try the last mission where you have to assassinate the enemy leader and bring back his head - great fun.
You can do the job quickly and wander about the islands for a while sight-
The graphics are 16-colour solid 3D with the game viewed from an independent perspective, and the controls are easy to master.
If this is what we can expect from Activision in the future then it looks like they're back with a vengeance. Just watch this one zoom p the charts when it's released at the end of August.