Built using the continually improved Unreal engine (first seen in the not so surprisingly named Unreal - way back in '98), Unreal Tournament 2004 is a multiplay-centric iterative release in the Unreal Tournament series. Looking to become an annual release, this evolution in the series is competitively priced ($75 RRP in New Zealand) and packed with gameplay features, many of which are new to the genre, let alone the series. Check out these gameplay modes for a start:

• Assault
  One team attacks an objective, the other defends it. Next time around, team roles reverse.
  
• Onslaught
  Take over powernodes in a series, each one unlocking a path to the next, until the way is clear for you to assault the other team's power core. Destroy the other team's power core to win the round.
  
• Deathmatch
  Kill or be killed - winner is first to reach target number of kills
  
• Capture the flag
  Get into the enemys base, get their flag, get out. To score, you must take their flag back to your own - which must still be in your base. A strategic cat & mouse game.
  
• Team Deathmatch
  Just like normal deathmatch but you are no longer alone.
  
• Double Domination
  Capture and hold both control points for 10 seconds in order to score.
  
• Bombing Run
  The closest thing to a traditional sport: capture the ball and then score in the opposition team's "hoop".
  
• Mutant
  Everyone tries to kill the mutant; if you do, you become the mutant. Only the mutant and the player with the lowest points can score by killing other players.
  
• Invasion
  Survive against waves of monsters, straight from Unreal (the single player game)
  
• Last Man Standing
  You have a certain number of lives - once you run out, you can only watch the rest of the game play out. Win by being the last left alive

Most of the modes are an absolute thrill, taking on a different feel depending on whether you are playing with bots, on an open server or in a clan-on-clan environment. The only one which feels a bit out of place is the Invasion mode, which is a little tiresome. With the right maps, right players and right difficulty setting even it might work.

The controls and response times of the game are fantastic. You have limitless ability to tweak the controls, of course, so the freaks that still use the arrow keys for movement will be up and running in no time, just like the rest of us (the sensible WASD community). You can snap around, switch between weapons and blast your opposition apart in mid air with ease (and practice!!), all whilst negotiating the clever lifts, launch pads and ramps of the various cleverly designed levels. It feels right, it works. Quake and UT players alike will feel at home here.