It's funny how a single word can change your outlook on things. Replace the word 'Beta' with the word 'Demo' in the 4 Multiplayer and all of a sudden you start questioning its restricted availability and time limited nature. By calling it a beta, however you offer a sense of exclusivity to those lucky enough to have a download key as well as racketing up the expectations of those jealous souls left without. You also enjoy the ultimate get out of jail free card provided by the phrase 'It's only a beta release' any time there's a bug or glitch. Don't get me wrong, I enjoy the sense of occasion and the feeling of being allowed to glimpse behind the curtain as much as the next gamer, I just wonder how much of this beta idea is really about giving developers meaningful feedback and how much is about building the hype.

Overly cynical ramblings aside, the Call of Duty 4 Multiplayer Beta offers an impressively huge chunk of free game for anyone lucky enough to have access to it and as luck would have it, I do. The first thing to note for anyone who's been on Mars for the last few months is that have done away with the series traditional World War II setting, instead we're pulled right up to date meaning no more pesky Nazis. This is something of a blessing as we're all getting just a little bored of at the moment, the question is does it still feel like the COD we all know and love? Since the beta is obviously multiplayer only, how intact the COD feel is in the single player campaigns remains open to debate. In the wonderful world of multiplayer however, the answer is a resending yes but, interestingly, its biggest achievement comes from its changes to the tried and tested formula.

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COD4 has gone all out to up its collective online game a notch or two by adding an almost RPGesque notion of XP points and levelling to proceedings that promises to revolutionise the multiplayer experience. The more you play the more experience you gain and much like an the more experience you gain the higher up the level ranking you move. Rather than just being a simple badge of dedication this ranking has a very real knock on effect in-game. There are five initial classes to play as (heavy gunner, assault troops, snipers, spec ops and demolition) each with their own specialist primary and secondary weapons as well as any unique items of kit they need. However the real fun starts when you've gained enough XP to earn the right to mix and match the different abilities of each default class to create your own custom-class designed to suit the way you want to play. You're also able to customise your abilities still further by mixing and matching different abilities into your three 'Perk' slots. These perks range from things such as basic speed and armour boosts to more inventive ones like the ability to use your pistols for one last shot at your killer just before you die. The further you level up the more perks become available meaning your customisation options continue to grow. While the Beta is capped at level 11 the full game promises to go all the way up to 55, which adds up to a whole lot of perks and upgrades to unlock.

While this is all seriously impressive, it's only fair to mention that this continual levelling up does mean that newcomers to the game are at an automatic disadvantage when thrown into a game full of maxed out vets. Remembering this is only a closed beta it would be nice to think that once open to the wider, less fanatical, public the servers will even out a bit and ranking will play a part in match selection but that remains to be seen and as it stands anyone not up to speed should expect to have their experience hampered by super powered soldiers playing with toys they're not deemed worthy of yet.

Away from the background mechanics and into the battle itself the first thing that hits you between the eyes (even before the first bullet) is the stunning job all involved have done with the graphics engine. It looks, well to put it simply, it looks real. Put a reporter on screen and you'd assume you were watching the news. Gone at last is the almost too clean and tidy feeling often found in FPS's; here we have real world dirt and grime giving the levels a genuine war-torn feel. You may have read about the fabled 60 frames per second and while I've no proof it's consistently running at that rate it doesn't take long to notice there's something very slick and smooth about the visuals and I've yet to notice even a hint of slowdown.

As well as the impressive graphical bells and whistles another thing that all adds to the feeling of immersion is the fact that weapon fire now realistically reacts to the surface it's fired at. Hiding behind a thin wall is no longer enough to keep you safe as heavy weapons fire can now tear through your feeble cover. This may sound a simple and indeed obvious addition but it's not till you've scrambled desperately behind a wall almost dead only to see bullets explode their way through it all around you as your assailant peppers your cover with fire that the terrifying reality of it hits home. It's this constant feeling of never being quite sure you're safe that provides an all important sense of fear and caution to the otherwise frantic proceedings creating an almost permanent sense of danger amidst the already intense battles. The itself handles as well as you'd expect from a developer with as much triple-A experience as Infinity Ward, weapons feel 'right' and the provided levels are all impeccably designed.

The lobby system in the beta is functional, if a little underdeveloped. While it's nice and easy to just pick a match type and let the game do the work of deciding which one to plonk you in it'd be nice to have more control over that final choice but I'm crossing my fingers that this will all be present and correct in the full game.

All in all this is a very impressive taster and one that certainly shows Call of Duty 4 to be a more than worthy continuation of the series' legacy. The single player campaign will obviously be a whole new ball game but given past experience there's nothing to indicate Infinity Ward will drop the ball especially given the obvious quality of the game engine. It may only a matter of hours until the impressive looking 3 finally makes it onto shelves but, to be honest, from what I've seen here, November the 5th and Call of Duty 4's own brand of fireworks are looking just as tempting.

By Paul Newcombe