Tactical shooters... The Cube doesn't have that many of them. XIII, Metroid and Killer 7 hardly fall into the genre and Medal Of Honor and Red Faction are more run'n'gun affairs. So it's a good job that the next installment in Mr. Clancy's Rainbow Six series is battling its way onto Ninty's little box of tricks. Tango Neutralised?

This installment will feature Ding Chavez as the main character, a battle hardened soldier operating with the covert Rainbow unit compromised of a further three specially trained individuals who have 'never lost a battle' or 'never lost a hostage' etcetera...until now when team Rainbow's sniper unit 'Weber' is no where to be found and the team must recover him alive... Interestingly the game will have you playing as both Chavez from the typical FPS perspective and also Weber in Silent Scope sniper only scenarios.

As Chavez you'll be ordering your troops around with the simple press (or press and hold) of a button and choosing of a command. The interface is very user friendly and gamers new to the series will have no difficultly ordering their squad to open a door, flash bang the room and then move in. This system is not overly complicated, a bit more depth to the tactical placement of your troops would have been a nice option as once you 'point and click' at the desired objective your troops will automatically choose where to take cover. This process reveals cracks in the AI, with your team seeming to believe that the bullets will just bounce off them, standing up in the middle of a battlefield as the best position for cover. On the other hand however they can prove to be very useful, as they surround a door from different angles and spread out to gain full control of a breached room.

Playing as Weber you will have to complete different types of sniper only objectives ranging from basic 'kill the bad guys' sniping to providing cover for a hostage, it also helps break up the gameplay a bit and allows for the player to see things from the snipers view where careful aiming and mounting tension make for a welcome change to the constant team ordering. One particular scene involves the player sniping from a chopper as it curves its way through the air making the player use the sniper differently as the changes in direction and balance shifts mean the gamer will have to compensate for these movements and learn to use their weapons in a different and engaging way.

Graphically the game looks good and small touches such as the environmental effects on the new HUD system really help add some flare to the games visuals. Little details such as the rain causing your visor to get droplets forming upon it, obscuring your vision or the way it cracks when you take damage help enhance the experience and draw the player just that little bit further into the Rainbow Six world.

Multiplayer options include co-op so you and a buddy can fight through the main campaign together, this should provide some added replay value and a fresh experience as the missions offer players a chance to experiment with different routes and tactics whilst trying to avoid forcing you down a set corridor with only one way to tackle a situation. There are also different varieties of opposing team games such as 'team survivor' and 'sharpshooters' which appear to be adaptations of the standard death match.

The Rainbow Six games seem to fall into the 'love it or hate it' marmite situation; this could be due to the traditional formula of 'one man with gun kills everyone' being abandoned for a team play experience where the player cannot afford to simply run and gun. Lockdown doesn't look like it's going to draw in the haters as it sticks pretty close to the previous games' style of gameplay. It does, however, look to be advancing the series with its improved graphics, faster gameplay and increased multiplayer options. It is not clear whether the new sniper sections will help or hinder the progress of the game, as it could break up the traditional Rainbow Six formula the fans have grown to know, or it could fit as a nice addition to the overall structure of the game.

Lockdown is shaping up pretty nicely and apart from a few AI issues looks to be another promising title for the Cube. Target Eliminated!