Your character can also jump, crouch and lie prone, the latter being most effective when sniping to minimise scope movement. As well as the normal and most natural-feeling third-person and sniper scope views the game can also be viewed in first-person without any weapon or hands visible (which just doesn't feel right for some reason) and night vision mode which you'll use a lot. Night vision mode can also end up being the best view to snipe with too as it doesn't sway around at all compared with the full sniper view but is not quite as magnified.

Another function we really liked (being fans of games like Medal Of Honor on PC) was the ability to lean and shoot around cover obstacles. That is however until we realised just how many shots were hitting the obstacle and not the intended target no matter how far we seemed to be leaning around it! Maybe we exaggerate but there seems to be a large amount of inaccuracy or collision detection fault here when crosshairs clear an obstacle by a fair bit but still keep hitting it.

Graphically SOCOM is mainly hit but there's a few little misses in there too. By this we mean it generally looks pretty good and definitely gets the job done plus there are some nice touches but it is starting to look its age alongside more recent titles. Model detail and textures are generally fairly simple but the levels are well-designed and there is some nice attention to detail throughout them. You won't find the maps crammed full of interactive objects but they are well-laid out with unique buildings and architecture present in every level ie. not just a bunch of repeatedly cloned polygons. Whilst most missions are fairly linear in nature the levels at least allow a high degree of free-roaming and you can check out almost every nook and cranny if you so desire belying the mission linearity somewhat.

Lighting for the most part is done quite nicely with some realistic shadowing, even from moving characters. Obviously light and shadow play a major part when your main approach in the game is stealth and most of the missions take place in reduced light or night-time situations and this is done well in the game. Weather effects though are so-so in places and we've been spoilt by more recent games when it comes to rain for example which is probably the weakest of them in SOCOM. To its credit though, snowflakes on the Alaska map look quite effective and realistic and tracks in the snow are clearly visible. Oh and check out the nice glowing moon and shooting stars in Turkmenistan!

Whilst character models, in particular enemy ones, aren't spectacular by today's standards and also a little repetitive their animations ARE actually very good! Character movement appears smooth and realistic and there are some nice little touches in the way your character and teammates give hand signals, change weapons and reload. Death animations are even better with several different ways for enemies and friendlies to go down alike. Non-lethal hits result in characters either pausing or half-dropping in pain before regaining composure to stand up again or run for cover in a nice smooth series of movements.

Sound is also handled very well and is crystal clear with realistic weapon sounds being the standout, especially the silenced sub-machine guns. Effects such as ricochets really add to the realism. Obviously the involvement of real SEALs and experts in the making of SOCOM had a big impact here as everything sounds much more real than in most action shooter games out there. Other effects such as environmental sounds, weather and explosions are all great and do much to put you "in the game".

Voice acting is also good with each team member having quite a repertoire of responses plus there is a vast variety of enemy voices each spoken in the actual language of the nationality involved with sub-titles included for all. Perhaps the one most annoying voice in SOCOM though is that of your closest buddy and ever-present sidekick Boomer, appropriately named for his penchant to yell stuff like "Boo Ya!" as loud as possible at every opportunity even in response to covert commands like "Hold Fire!". Go figure!

The musical score again is nice and can be compared to, but is probably less memorable than, those in games like Medal Of Honor and the Red Storm games already mentioned. However if you're like us you'll probably have a bit of a listen and then turn off the music altogether. After all, this is a stealth-based game where silence and a keen ear for any little sound in the environment are key to success right? Wouldn't want those loud crescendos when an enemy appears to put us off our aim with a touchy sniper rifle now would we?

The single-player game in SOCOM:US Navy SEALs could probably be summed up as a slightly above-average third-person squad-based shooter. Having been out in the US for almost a year now it certainly isn't cutting-edge software but it would be unfair to go as far as saying it's a visual slouch as it contains some nice touches and does look the part for the genre. Much of the enemy AI leaves a lot to be desired and many kills will happen as a result of enemy stupidity rather than your honed expertise (sorry!) but they can occasionally catch you unawares and we're led to believe they get a little tougher on replay.