The realism of Operation Flashpoint: Elite goes much further than not being able to withstand a 7.62 mm round to the head. There are many little touches that the 'average' gamer may very well notice but not necessarily appreciate the significance. By far the biggest and most obvious touch of realism is the inclusion of peripheral vision indicators.

For example, any friendly soldier or vehicle that is outside of your vision will show up as a green dot on the left or right edge of the screen. The darker the dot, the closer the soldier or vehicle is to the player and likewise, the higher or lower the dot is from centre the more forward or behind the player they are. Enemies and unknowns receive the same treatment although they are represented by red and white dots respectively. Obviously this isn't true-to-life, but neither is perspective given by your TV screen, so this does a stellar job of evening the odds. This revolutionary feature was not seen in the PC version of Operation Flashpoint and significantly enhances the player's situational awareness. Combine this with the subtle formation way-point indicator and knowing where your commander wants you is intuitively easy. I can not rave about this one feature enough as I believe it to be the single most revolutionary feature in a FPS since the genre entered the third dimension.

The visuals of Operation Flashpoint: Elite are sure to be the games biggest point of contention across the gamut of game review sources. It's a port of a four year old game and I will be the first to admit it does not look anywhere near as pretty as recent titles such as Far Cry: Instincts or Halo 2. Traditional FPS have very linear and confined environments or maps, which keeps players on track in terms of narrative, and ensures the graphics do more with less. Operation Flashpoint: Elite on the other hand takes a completely different approach. Instead of linear levels, the action in Operation Flashpoint: Elite takes place on and over four massive 100km2 environments that are as natural and alive as possible- weather changes over time and there's even insects! These environments can be traversed on foot or in a multitude of land sea and air vehicles all with seamless transitions between different forms of transport.

Not only that, but once the map is loaded you will not see another loading screen until the mission ends. And even then they are so short you will not have enough time to read the on-screen tips as you wait! The level of optimisation is a fitting tribute to three years development time well spent. The graphics have certainly been improved from the original and quite a few Xbox only graphical touches have been added to the mix such as Depth of Field (variable camera focus effects) and High Dynamic Range Lighting (a more realistic method of simulating light sources in games). On a clear day, the visual distance is enormous and easily accommodates the range of even the most far reaching weapons. The frame rate is stable but don't expect it to rise above 30 fps and when flying in one of the games many aircraft it is clear that the Xbox is being pushed to the limit of its capabilities as the frame rate can become a little jerky.

Lighting effects in Operation Flashpoint: Elite are particularly effective. Thanks to the realistic lighting, terrain features and targets are silhouetted against the sky when positioned with the sun at their back, making it easier to spot targets along the horizon but more difficult to distinguish friend from foe. Just like the real-world, this effect can have a real impact on your ability to acquire targets and win a fire fight as the enemy may disappear in a dark patch of terrain while they can see you clearly. Real time lighting effects and multiple light sources illuminate the environment during night time fire fights and vehicles and aircraft have lights that realistically illuminate the terrain to create some surprisingly intense situations. On a number of occasions I noticed my heartbeat increase when crawling in or out of an enemy controlled area as a stealthy Commando and seeing the headlight of a jeep approaching.

The controls in Operation Flashpoint: Elite are exceptionally well thought out. Being a huge fan of the genre and having played most games it has to offer, in my opinion Operation Flashpoint: Elite has the best most intuitive use of the Xbox controller in a FPS to date. The aiming system is also very tight, it is not too hard to shoot targets at distance and doesn't take very long to line them up either. The iron sight view is very easy to use and a slight pull of the Right Trigger steadies your aim (if you have got the time). There is an auto-aim adjustment (dependent on difficulty level) but unlike some games I didn't feel like the game was aiming for me. No ludicrous shot adjustments, just smart compensation for lower resolution and touchy Thumbsticks.

In places Operation Flashpoint: Elite allows the player to take control of up to 12 soldiers. The order system is very well designed and is initiated with a right tap of the D-Pad, and you move the selection up and down to select who to issue the order to. Players can assign up to five different colours to members of their squad in order to separate large squads into smaller groups, which is particularly useful when squads are spread over multiple vehicles. Once selected, you'll make a choice from the next column which contains broad command headings affecting movement and status. There's also a sub-menu to refine these orders if necessary.

Additionally, Operation Flashpoint: Elite sports context sensitive orders that can negate the amount of time you spend in menus. For instance, selecting all your soldiers, aiming at a point on the ground and then pulling the Right Trigger will order all soldiers to move to that point. Likewise, training your sights on a known enemy will cause your squad to attack that enemy. This means that with practice, you can issue complex orders very quickly. I would say it is even more effective and intuitive than the radial system common to the Rainbow Six and Ghost Recon games on Xbox.

The sound track of Operation Flashpoint: Elite is as accurate and realistic as the rest of the game. Each of the weapons have authentic resonating firing sounds and those familiar with the distinctive sounds the helicopters modelled in the game make will be able to recognise what airframe is approaching well before they see it. The voice acting is good, especially in the Resistance campaign and the Russians as you would expect, speak in Russian. Vehicles cause your controller to shake, and the sheer volume of radio chatter during battle can be overwhelming. The music is a mix of moody strings, minimalist tones and bad rock'n'roll. Fortunately it is not too intrusive and is mainly used for menu screens and cut scenes but a more substantial music mix would have been nice.

The Artificial Intelligence (A.I) in Operation Flashpoint: Elite is quite impressive. Your soldiers behave intelligently and take cover when required or ordered. Most armoured vehicles require a crew of at least two but thankfully the AI controlled soldiers can perform all automotive tasks. You can choose to be the Gunner of a tank and issue movement orders to a squadmate, or take control yourself and let the A.I Gunner automatically engage targets if he's able. Any other soldiers in your squad can be ordered to crew vehicles on their own and will follow in formation or move to set locations. Despite this, controlling groups of armoured vehicles is probably the weakest part of the game's control system, but with practice you should get the hang of it. A few annoying issues persist however, such as not being able to steer with the Left Thumbstick when the order menu is active and the occasional moment when one or more of your squad will dismount for no apparent reason other than a preference to travel on foot.

Enemy soldiers are pretty smart too, and will seek effective cover from fire and if you become fixed in place will attempt to flank your position. Firing at enemy troop formations will cause them to take cover and counter attack, sniping drivers can cause vehicles to crash or at the least veer off course and any troops riding in the back to get out and deploy. Friendly and enemy soldiers alike can enter almost any building and it is not uncommon to see AI controlled soldiers seeking a firing position from a window on the higher floors of those with multiple storeys. Separated soldiers may run for their lives and attempt to contact reinforcements and medics will automatically heal any wounded around them. At no stage did I see anyone stuck on geometry or doing anything silly such as rotating on the spot as I have seen in similar titles, though every so often the AI does charge recklessly into enemy fire.