The announcement many gamers have been waiting for finally arrived late yesterday, Microsoft's London public relations agency finally letting the cat out of the bag about 2's transition to the PC. Online soothsayers and experts had for some time been predicting nay hoping for the announcement, seen as inevitable given the success enjoyed by the original Halo on the PC. There is one slight caveat however that no one predicted: Halo 2 will be developed for Window's Vista only.

This marks a very clever move by Microsoft, potentially forcing the hand of millions of PC gamers, who might otherwise have doubted the value of an operating system upgrade. No release date was revealed, but given that Windows Vista is expected out at some point in 2006, we can expect it some time after this launch (by the end of the year, we'd hazard). Halo 2 has already shifted millions of copies on the Xbox, with a number three for the said to be in now.

The title picks up where the original Halo concluded, and will include the "Halo 2 Multiplayer Map Pack," launched on Live by following in the wake of Halo 2's console launch. A map editor of some description is also promised. We'll keep you posted on this as we learn more.

By Luke Guttridge