With just a matter of days to go until the official launch of 2, has confirmed that two new publications will be made available from today supporting the new title. Half-Life 2: Raising the Bar is the ultimate collectors item for fans of Valve, and over a hard-bound 288-pages it describes the origins of Valve, and the of their projects with exclusive new details, images and interviews.

Also arriving is a 320-page game guide, which is in full colour, and includes all maps, tips and hidden extras. Tactics are also covered and a run down of the game's weapons and foes will also prove helpful, we'd imagine. Primagames.com are publishing, and of course all major etailers will be stocking. We'll keep you posted.

By Luke Guttridge