Test your first-person shooter skills with Call of Duty: Black Ops

The arrival of a new title in the blockbuster Call of Duty franchise is always a major event for any gamer with even a passing interest in first-person shooter games - and Call of Duty: Black Ops looks set to continue that tradition in fine form. Featuring an extensive single-player campaign set in the Cold War era which tasks players with carrying out covert military operations deep behind enemy lines, Black Ops is just the game for anyone looking for the next big adrenaline-pumping action title.



The single-player campaign - which puts the player in the shoes of various characters from mission to mission, revealing several sides to the overall narrative - will see intense battles carried out both on foot and in the air, with playable characters taking to the skies in several aircraft including a Hind helicopter. Players will have a huge number of ballistic weapons to choose from, including crossbows, which make an appearance for the first time in a COD game.



As ever with the Call of Duty series, the single-player campaign isn't the only thing to get excited about. The game's multiplayer modes are bigger and better than ever, building on the groundbreaking RPG upgrade elements first introduced in Call of Duty: Modern Warfare. This time around, players will earn COD points during multiplayer battles, giving them the option to spend them on the exact upgrades they desire. The selection of potential rewards is huge, so players will have to choose carefully when deciding where to allocate their COD points - will they beef up their arsenal with improved weapons and attachments or concentrate on in-game perks and performance-related bonuses in the form of killstreak rewards, which include controllable helicopter attacks, napalm strikes and a remote control explosive car?



COD points can also be used to customise player characters, allowing Call of Duty fans to put a unique spin on their multiplayer avatar. Those with the confidence to put their skills to the ultimate test can do so via wager matches, in which players put their hard-earned COD Points on the line in a tense series of custom game modes.



As well as the competitive multiplayer modes, Black Ops also offers up some co-operative options, including the return of the Zombies mode first seen in Call of Duty: World at War. This nail-biting mode sees up to four players team up to take on wave after wave of flesh-hungry undead, while the additional Combat Training option allows friends to get together to battle it out against enemy-controlled AI either online or locally via split-screen



Available on Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, Wii, PC and DS, Call of Duty: Black Ops looks set to be another huge hit this Christmas - so if you're a fan of action-packed first-person shooter games be sure to grab your copy while it's still in stock!