Call of Duty is a first-person shooter based in the battles of World War II. There are many World War II games out there; I'd postulate that this is because World War II is the beginning of the use of modern weaponry, and because the Nazi Party's leadership was one of the most clear-cut evil organizations of the modern era. It's currently politically correct to try to look at situations from different points of view and recognize that those other viewpoints can have some validity; even as we support our troops in the war on terror, we are also told about the life of the average citizen in Islamic countries and can see why the terrorist organizations can take root there. Basing a game in World War II lets us get around the "Is the enemy really evil?" question, and we can do virtual violence untroubled by moral questions: your character is a hero in the fight of good vs. evil.

One of the major differences between this game and most of the other World War II games that I know of is that in Call of Duty, the hero is actually several different common grunts: an American, an Englishman, and a Russian. The role of hero is reduced to simply surviving on the battlefields of Europe, trying to keep your compatriots alive in the face of a determined foe, and trying to meet the small objectives that combine with the objectives of other units in the grander battle that will eventually bring down a foe that the character and the player can both feel good about helping to defeat. While the American and British parts of the game are well done, the feeling of playing a Russian soldier really stood out for me, and bought home the great losses the Russian people had in their withdrawal before the German divisions.

What turned me on most to this game was the feeling that this must be what combat was like in World War II. It was often confusing on the battlefield, dodging from one bit of cover to another as you wished you could stay in the safe corner you found, but knowing that the rest of your squad would die if you did so. So you duck, run, scurry like a cockroach when the lights come on, and hope you aren't leaving enemies behind you as you try your best to meet the objectives your commanders have given you. You don't have time to stop and think about what's going on, you're doing your best to keep yourself and your squad alive and moving forward. Still, you are able to pick up bits and pieces of the larger picture, and get some idea of how the overall battle is progressing.

The graphics and sound are realistic enough to convince me that it's a valid glimpse of what World War II was like to a common grunt, but the controls can be configured easily so that you can set the bob-and-weave threshold where you want it. I also tended to disable the blood and use headphones as I frequently had young children in the room while I was playing it, but I also enjoyed playing with normal sound and blood on to make it feel more real once the kids were tucked into bed. The learning curve also seemed fairly low, as I was able to jump in and get my feet wet without too much difficulty.

The use of weaponry is appropriate. As a member of each different armed forces group you have access to different period weaponry with different fire rates, accuracy, and kick. In addition, you can pick up and use weapons from the German forces you defeat as well. For instance, the Russian sub-machine gun is much more inaccurate than the German MP-40, especially over longer distances. When involved in a mid-range fire fight you'll be much better off with a looted MP40. However, the Russian SMG's superior rate of fire makes it a better choice for close quarters combat. The Russians have a more accurate and faster reloading sniper rifle, but the American M1 is a much more versatile weapon with good accuracy and fast rate of fire. You also have a melee attack with your rifle's butt, and will need to use it as sometimes the foes come at you faster than you can shoot and reload.

All in all, this is a very immersive game and one that is quite welcome in the Macintosh universe. It's very refreshing to have this quality of adult entertainment on this often forgotten platform. I'd recommend Call of Duty for a mature gamer, or perhaps for a teenager that will be playing under the supervision of a trusted adult that can help explain the realities of war portrayed in the game.