Ten minutes of gameplay was all I needed to know that Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare is one of the best games I have ever played. It also is quite likely the best looking game I have ever played. The experience of being drawn into the story is as present in Call of Duty 4 as it was in the World War II-themed Call of Duty and Call of Duty 2. The hype is high for this title, and it does a darn good job of living up to that hype.

Let's just get the visuals out of the way: They are stupid good. The character models are about as refined as you'll find in any current title. Animations are smooth; movement, reactions and physical effects are masterfully done; and the environment feels natural. If you've got the rig to run the game with all the bells and whistles, then welcome to Uncanny Valley. It's just that good. But it's not all just about stunning visuals and blazing action.

Perhaps the most striking feature of Call of Duty 4 is the immersion effect. Not to be melodramatic, but after completing the first few early missions, I sat back in my chair and, truthfully, I just wondered at what soldiers around the world must face in battles of every sort on a daily basis. And Modern Warfare gives the player a sweet taste of many different combat types: stealthy assaults, protracted gun battles and nail-biting sniper infiltration. There is a very unique moment in game when you are given control of some very powerful vehicle-mounted armaments. I describe it thus so as not to spoil a fantastic, if short-lived, combat minigame.

Facing off against enemy combatants is a daunting endeavor, and you should expect to load from save points on occasion, especially at higher difficulty levels. In some of the larger, overt battles, the number of enemies is quite simply overwhelming, so you will definitely want to find something large and solid to hide behind — preferably something that will not explode after being riddled with bullets (being killed by your own cover is an eye-opening moment).

Enemies behave believably, taking cover and even firing blindly over the tops of walls. At times, the bad guys' lack of self-concern seems a bit unrealistic, but only a real soldier could vouch for the authenticity. However, it certainly wasn't distracting enough to lower my opinion of the action. There are numerous scripted encounters in the game (it is, after all, very story-driven), and each of those vignettes is seamlessly worked into the gameplay and makes for a plotline in which the player feels fully involved. And the cutscenes (rendered in the game engine) are spectacularly done — a lesson for any developer looking for the right way to weave cinematic elements amongst gameplay.

It's not all thumbs up, however. I do have a few criticisms of the game. Chief among my complaints is that Call of Duty 4 often feels like an amusement park ride — "on rails" as the saying goes. You don't have very many choices, and you often are stuck with only one path to follow. I could liken it to playing full-contact football in a hallway — without pads. On the other hand, this sort of gameplay is par for the course with the Call of Duty series, and so it really should come as no surprise to anyone familiar with the franchise. It is, however, a bit heavier in this fourth iteration than in the prior two PC titles.

Beyond the single-player experience, there is a multiplayer component and an arcade mode (unlocked by completing the single-player campaign). I have not yet played any of the multiplayer offering, so I cannot provide an opinion. The arcade mode, however, feels a tad bit like an afterthought, mostly a "challenge mode," allowing you to replay the entire campaign or any individual mission with the goal of scoring the most points while doing so. It felt a little empty, after such a visceral romp through the killing fields, running through it all again while trying to rack up some kind of high score.

If you are a die-hard fan of the Call of Duty series, you should be pleased to add Modern Warfare to your collection. While it is a bit too much of a guided tour (somewhat more so than its predecessors), the straight-from-today's-headlines story is engaging, and the visceral experience will have you feeling like you're the one catching the bullets. Some players will feel constricted by the game's limited choices when it comes to achieving success in various situations. But if you're looking for a pure eye-candy joyride with a solid story Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare will not disappoint.