Compared with other titles that were inspired after a famous movie and failed miserably because the developers had no time to come up with the best possible product, Treyarch had all the time in the world to create an appealing videogame capable of competing with the real thing. While this might have been a wildly optimistic idea and this title doesn't have the potential of measuring up with the movie, it is still one of the best Bond inspired videogames and one that the true fans of the franchise shouldn't miss.

The story revolves around the events depicted in Casino Royale with enough elements from the upcoming film, always trying to find the perfect balance between revealing key features from Quantum of Solace, without becoming a spoiler. Starting with a failed assassination attempt the game moves freely back in time, with numerous flashbacks, making the entire story a bit difficult to follow. Luckily after each episode we have a cut scene, briefly explaining what happened and which the next assignment is so in the final chapters everyone gets all the needed answers.

Most of the time spend playing will be through a first person view, but occasionally when Bond is supposed to sneak through an open window, hack into a computer network or trie to open a jammed door the action shifts to third person. It's a welcomed diversion and a good chance to see that a lot of consideration was given to details as the super agent looks very much like Daniel Craig himself. In fact most of the key characters are very good looking and those dedicated fans of Casino Royale will be pleasantly surprised to see the resemblance.

As a shooter this game can never become a milestone of the genre, despite using the highly acclaimed engine from Call of Duty 4 because there are simply not enough innovative concepts implemented. Where Quantum of Solace truly shines is in creating the appropriate atmosphere by introducing the gamer into the Bond universe, recreating familiar settings and tasks that the famous spy was ordered to execute. While your actions have little or no impact on the way the story unfolds, as this is hardly open-ended, the gamer has the liberty of choosing the way he wants to complete each mission, deciding whether to use stealth or not.

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Stealth is a very useful feature that comes in handy especially when you play on higher difficulty, but for most of the game one can easily annihilate the threat without sneaking around all of the time. This remains essentially a one-shot one-kill game, so one thing nobody can afford to ignore is finding cover at all costs before entering an environment swarming with hostiles, otherwise the chances of escaping unharmed are minimal. The system is very easy to pick up and you'll never run out of cover as virtually any corner or object can become a shelter for a brief time, depending on what it's made off.

Some will easily fall apart under heavy enemy fire while other will resist even after a grenade blows up near, but it's dangerous to linger on for too long in the same place because the opponents have a nasty habit of flanking you. One thing that should always be taken into account is to use the environment to your advantage, explosive barrels are scattered allover the place, chandeliers and other hanging objects can be use to crush an unwary enemy but could become a serious threat if the opponent finds a way of exploiting it.

Speaking about the AI, this is surprisingly good with the enemy being capable of articulate maneuvers, providing suppressing fire for an advancing soldier, wielding grenades to get you out of cover and executing spectacular jumps while trying to avoid you bullets. They will always be a threat if you underestimate them and although the life gradually recharges when being in a safe place, the opponent can inflict serious damage in a matter of seconds. The benefits of using stealth are obvious when you have to infiltrate a heavily defended site and any loud noise will lure the guards to your location, greatly complicating your mission.

On the bad side, the otherwise smart AI tends to perform the same moves when jumping over obstacles, shooting an enemy will cause him to collapse in a similar fashion with the previous victim and their attempts to flank you are repetitive and become increasingly easy to repel. I understand the use of explosive barrels and canisters; they help you deal with upcoming enemies and the blasts look very nice both on the wide screen and the monitor, but this is no reason to exaggerate. You can find hundreds of these items virtually everywhere, even in places where their presence should be discrete, at best, like museums, mansions or casinos. To make things even worse they all have an eerie, blue glow, destined to make them effortless to spot and subsequently easy to use, but it has a deterring effect by altering the illusion of reality.

The very short storyline is in some way saved by the multiplayer that features besides two deathmatch modes, arcade and regular, three original types: Bond Versus, Bond Evasion and Golden Gun. The first one is the least attractive, with one player trying to eliminate an entire crew of "The Organization" or to secure an objective. Evasion has the players divided into two teams, one trying to protect Bond and the other aiming to kill him before he escapes. Golden Gun is definitely the most entertaining mode, where an one-hit one-kill weapon is placed in the middle of the map to be picked up, and only kills made with it count on the scoreboard.

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Conclusion:

This game is far from being perfect, but instead of pointing out the flaws and complaining about the short and somehow linear story or the lack of innovative concepts, Quantum of Solace should be praised for the consistent and thrilling narration that acts like a bond between Casino Royale and its sequel, offering a different and more exciting approach to the regular FPS.

Gameplay: 81

Perhaps the most significant drawback of Quantum of Solace regarding gameplay is the sheer size of the campaign which can easily be completed in a single session of around six hours. The satisfaction generated during this rather short period is substantial though, there is no time to get bored and the fact you've got virtually unlimited freedom in deciding whether to choose stealth of brute force in annihilating the threat, further improves the gaming experience.

Graphics: 86

With so many scenes imported from the original movie, and Casino Royale, Treyarch really couldn't go wrong with the environment, and it's quite a delight to enjoy the carefully designed rooms of the Casino, the luxurious interior of the train racing through Montenegro, or the busy building site in Madagascar. Some textures look a bit bland though, and while the resemblance of Bond and the main characters with the real life actors is uncanny, the enemies look pretty much alike.

Sounds: 87

Thanks to Daniel Craig's decision to lend his voice for the main character in Quantum of Solace, the realism of this title was further enhanced; the dialogues and the cut scenes sound great and give the entire story a more cohesive look. The soundtrack is of course stellar and will linger in the corners of your mind long after the 6 hours of gameplay become no more than a distant memory.

Multiplayer: 80

Those who find the singleplayer campaign way to short and are hoping to spend more time in Quantum of Solace, will find the multiplayer to be a welcomed addition. While the deathmatch modes are less compelling, the Bond Versus, Evasion and especially Golden Gun can provide the gamer with the adrenaline rush only a player vs. player confrontation can generate.

Hardware: 79

The game is pretty demanding, a bit too demanding for what it has to offer so it would be wise to try it on the standard settings if you don't won a powerful machine. The frame rate frequently drops dangerously low and if you are greedy by setting the visual effects too high, than it's most likely you'll experience some problems.