The heart and soul of No One Lives Forever is it's classic spy-movie flavor, and it never loses that focus throughout the game. Cate Archer, the main character, is as sassy and quick of wit as Sean Connery ever was in his Bond movies, and the supporting cast of characters fits right in with what you'd expect from the motif-crazy enemies with bizarre habits, old British guys in charge of U.N.I.T.Y., a British intelligence agency, and an American agent with all the good ol' boy feel and cockiness that you can stomach. The characters’ dialogue also is exceptional, doing a superb job of delivering the game’s storyline in a concise and entertaining manner. The story is not very deep or complex, but then again, neither are the action movies the game borrows heavily from. What’s important is that it is entertaining, and creates a vivid gameworld that helps immerse the player in the game’s experience.

The style of the game also spills over into the level design, and it is here where No One Lives Forever really shines. Levels require many spy-ish skills, from sneaking to shooting to sniping. The most remarkable quality about the levels is how well these elements are blended together. You're always sneaking around, avoiding the ever-watchful security guards and the not-as-vigilant H.A.R.M. lackeys, but at the same time you're looking for a way to dispose of them in a quiet and orderly fashion in a place where no one will notice the corpse. To accomplish these goals, you might sneak up to the roof of a building and pluck them off one by one, or you might lure and ambush them in a discreet manner. The levels also sport a great deal of variety as well-there is one where you fall off a plane without a parachute, and another where you have to take a deep-sea dive, avoiding sharks and enemies with harpoons. These levels in particular are especially noteworthy, and just experiencing them is worth the price of admission itself.

Of course, no spy is complete without a wide variety of crazy gadgets, and Cate Archer is no exception to that rule. After completing a mission in the game, you'll be presented with a whole host of new toys, ranging from exploding lipstick to knockout perfume. When used properly and at the right time during a mission, these items can help to get past a part that would otherwise be impassible. It's a nice touch to the game, and goes a long way to helping keep the missions fresh and diverse. The weapons at Cate's disposal are also in keeping with the 1960's spy theme-you won't find plasma rifles or shock lances here, but you will find a variety of machine guns, rifles, and pistols that are all have their uses in different circumstances, reinforcing the game's emphasis on letting a player approach a situation the way they see fit.

The Lithtech 2.5 engine powers the graphics in NOLF, and the game is very eye pleasing. This is more due to the art design than pure polygon count, as the game's levels are outstandingly textured. The framerate, while sometimes a bit jittery, is usually quite smooth, and the lighting and other special effects are more than attractive. While Lithtech 2.5 isn't as graphically stunning as the Quake and Unreal engines, it still is an attractive game that runs well even on modest hardware, which, in this reviewer's opinion, is the proverbial 'bottom line' when it comes to graphics. Perhaps the most notable aspect of the game engine is the AI, which does a fantastic job of taking cover and reacting to the both the player and the environment. To say the least, I got into more than a few memorable firefights in the game-again, just like a good spy movie would have.

The effort put into the audible aspect of NOLF is above and beyond what most shooters on the market offer. The voice acting in the game is superb, with each of the characters delivering their lines in a consistent and convincing manner, a real treat when you consider how laughable most of the voice acting is in games these days. Sound effects are also well done-from the whirring of the security cameras to the furious explosions from the machine guns, NOLF's sounds are of extremely high quality.

The only area where No One Lives Forever disappoints is the multiplayer. The single-player gameplay forumla of stealth and shooting just does not translate to deathmatch very well, and the teamplay mode, U.N.I.T.Y. vs. H.A.R.M., doesn't have much more going for it than the standard Capture the Flag mode found in every other first person shooter released these days. It's not very inspired, nor is it original and I can't help but think that most people will choose to get their multiplayer FPS fix elsewhere. However, the single-player experience is quite lengthy-expect to spend about 20-25 hours playing the game, more or less depending on your skill as a FPS player. The game, with it’s Super Spy difficultly, gotta catch ‘em all intelligence items, and mission ratings, also provides a strong replay value in a manner similar to the N64 classic Goldeneye

No One Lives Forever is a shining example of bringing together a wide variety of different ideas, executing them with a ever-engaging style, and delivering a polished product that is a thrilling experience from beginning to end. It is honestly one of the most entertaining shooters to come out in years, and it’s a testament to what the how good this often-disappointing genre can do when all the elements are properly brought together.