NOLF is set in the 60s, with all the trappings of a camp spy movie - the hammy accents, the atrocious fashion sense, the near-ridiculous 'state of the art' gadgets and a round-the-globe romp. But more on that later. (Warning: Mild Spoilers Ahead) The protagonist is Cate Archer, a former thief, now turned U.N.I.T.Y (British Intelligence, for lack of a more accurate description) field agent. As a newbie in the spy business, she's basically been itching for a chance to get to active duty, and now is out to prove to the patriarchal management of U.N.I.T.Y that a woman has the moxie to make it as a spy.

Right from the first active mission, you know that this game stands out. Instead of equipping you with a pea-shooter and giving you a lame-ass 'innocuous' objective, you start out in a hotel room with a sniper rifle, acting as guardian angel for a near-deaf ambassador on the terrace of the building across the street, picking off assassins as they close in on him. Genius. No opening in a game has managed to trump this one yet.

Of course, Cate's credibility is shot when the mission goes for a spin towards the end, and her partner and mentor is shot by badguy numero uno, Dmitri Volkov. Enough plot giveaway, but let me assure you, there are plenty more twists and developments to come. Suffice to say, Cate is sent back into the field to tackle a threat by an evildoing organisation, conveniently named H.A.R.M.

Missions take you to various locales, including Morocco, Berlin, Switzerland, the Caribbean, and even to a Space Station. You'll be doing a lot of kickass things on the way as well, including diving to search a sunken wreck for a logbook, driving motorbikes and snowmobiles (running over people - yay), fighting off helicopters from a Cable Car and believe it or not, having a shootout while in free fall.

The weapons are all period pieces as well, and there's something about a bolt action rifle that really gets me going. One handy implementation is the multiple ammo type, that lets you cycle through FMJ, phosphorous and cyanide rounds, if you've got em. Nothing like a few phosphorous bullets to turn a baddie into a flaming wretch. The crossbow and harpoon gun also nail enemies to nearby walls. You simply CANNOT go wrong with that concept.

Along with her arsenal, Cate has an array of bizarre gadgets - the hair barette which also serves as both a lockpick and a stabbing device, lipstick bomb grenades, stun perfumes, sunglasses which double as scanners and zoomable camera, robot poodles to distract guard dogs (?!?), it's all very surreal and very much fun.

The game uses the Lithtech engine, which was previously muddied with the infamous Blood 2. While you're not going to be rhapsodising now about how gorgeous everything looks, every single location has a distinct look and feel, and it works very well, especially when you consider the campy nature of the game's setting. Plus, level design is pretty great, for both aesthetics and gameplay.

But what really sets this game apart is the humour. It's everywhere - in the mission briefings, in the pieces of 'intelligence' you pick up from around the place, in the talks you have with the NPCs, in the random conversations you hear other characters indulge in. Nearly all of it is terrific. Some samples:


Dmitri Volkov: Get ready. The spy is coming. We don't want any slip-ups, do we?
Moroccan flunky: Yessar...I mean...No sar...I mean...Yes to the first one and no to the second one...Sar!
DV: Idiot.

(Don't remember this one verbatim, so I'll just convey the gist)
Inge Wagner: You drunken lout! How is discipline supposed to be enforced on this ship with brutes like you on board?!
Magnus Armstrong: Aye, I'm drunk. But at least I'm not a big olde fatty!
IW: Boor!
MA: Fatty.
IW: Savage!!
MA: Fatty.


I'm not including the famous 'You look like you could use a monkey' conversation, as that's something you have to play the game before you deserve to hear.

End of the day, gameplay is king. This was the first game I played where I shot someone and they rolled down staircases, fell over railings and generally made life more interesting for me. Occasionally, you might have to remind yourself to stop laughing and start shooting, but I can't take that as anything other than a good thing. The occasional stealth mission kind of slows down things a bit, as if you're seen, you lose the mission. With things like guard patrol routes and camera movement to think about, it can get a bit frustrating at times. But only a small quibble really. Only clumsy oafs like me will need to rely on the Quicksave button to get by spots like these. There are also extended conversations between Cate and some characters (usually the bigwigs at U.N.I.T.Y) where you have some choices in conversation, usually between polite and acid, and making the right choice can get you a few bonus points. I really liked the conversations, but I can imagine others getting a little bored quick. Anyway, this is a superlative shooter that many more people ought to have played. I for one am glad I did.

Developer: Monolith Productions

Publisher: Fox Interactive

Platforms: PC, PS2, Mac.