The Americans, still smarting over their massive losses from "the great war" just a few years before, were reluctant to get involved in World War 2 - which, by 1941, was already well under way. The people just didn't want to lose any more sons, fathers or brothers - the President was even elected on the promise that they would never again engage in such a conflict. But the pressure was on - America's allies were mortally wounded and crying out for assistance; Japan knew that their involvement was inevitable. Instead of waiting for the wrath of America's impressive naval armada to be focused on them, in a remarkable and surprising assault Japan made the decision and attacked the completely unprepared fleet as they idled in Hawaii. Which is where we join our hero, you, asleep (but not for long!) on his bunk, deep in the bowels of an American battleship. A bomb blast soon puts paid to his slumber and like that, the adventure begins.

Like all the previous games (excluding the Gameboy Advance versions), Medal of Honour: Rising Sun is a first person shooter. It puts you in the eyeballs of the hero, and a gun in your hand - before sending a slew of cannon fodder into your sights. The idea is to move around the game world and shoot the bad guys before they shoot you, acheiving objectives (typically "survive and get to the end") and generally saving the day. It's hardly innovative, for the most part, but that's expected - it's par for the course. That's what the Medal of Honor gamer is looking for, so they'll be pleased to hear that it's unchanged.

The first levels of the game follow our hero as, in shock, he attempts to fight the unwinnable fight and bring it to the invading Japanese. History has taught us that there's no chance the Americans can "win" this conflict and that fact remains unchanged in the game. Sounds stupid, right? Fair enough for thinking that, but boy! Are you wrong or what? The crazy intensity brought about by the sheer insanity of the moment is brought about perfectly in Rising Sun. Run out onto the deck and catch your breath - the sky is full of Japanese zeros and their explosive parcels of doom; ships all around are listing this way and that, rocked by numerous explosions. What the hell is going on? You run for a machine gun and aim at the skies - they aren't going to come out of this without losing a few of their own! And so it goes on, all in glorious and intense interactivity, over the next two levels. The sheer impressiveness of this is both the brilliance and the damnation of the game as a whole; it just doesn't get any better than this. Literally.

The rest of the levels, which vary in location throughout the pacific and the specific objective you need to achieve, just aren't up to the genius of the opening sequences. Most of them are just plain old first person shooter standards - with lacklustre level design and bland looks all around. It feels, in fact, like a PS1 game much of the time and really doesn't live up to the (admittedly high) ideals set during the first few minutes of gameplay. As a result, every time you return to the game after an absence is a disappointment, rather than a continuation of the excitement you originally experienced.