The graphics in Return to Castle Wolfenstein are stunning and superb. Whether it is the architecture of the many places you will see in RTCW, the realism and fluid movement of the models. The almost realistic textures on everything, or simply the explosions and effects there is no disputing that RTCW is a graphical masterpiece. The only games prior to achieve such a level of mastery with graphics is perhaps Unreal and Max Payne.

The sounds in RTCW are great. Most of what the enemy's speak German so I never understand a damn thing, but it sure is fun to hear the roar of a machine gun. No but seriously, the games sound effects are stunning. Whether the sounds are speech, sound effects of weapons, or just background noise, they are all fantastic. A great thing that I noticed is that almost every action in RTCW has a sound effect. You can hear soldiers walking around, and you can here them hit the floor as they fall. Best of all the ambient sounds of certain maps, along with the background music give the player a very distinct and engrossed experience. Not only does it do a good job of putting the player into the action, it also builds tension and establishes mood. Something that in my opinion is very important.

The gameplay of RTCW is very elaborate and mixed. The game itself almost has an addictivy.quality. Not many times is there an FPS title that you can complete and then, go back and start playing to complete again. RTCW offers a great deal in visuals and action. RTCW also does a very good job mixing up the areas a good deal. Just like other great titles like Half-Life and Unreal, the game moves you through different areas that are always fresh and that offer intense game play. Best of all the game always has you moving through progressively larger, and more difficult areas, while at the same time offering you a new array of weapons to keep you level with the competition. There is hardly ever a time where you will be stuck with a massive arsenal, only to take pot shots at weak and laughable enemies. RTCW also offers a great deal of fun when you fight your enemies and your bound to always experience something new when it comes to scenarios and enemies.

First Person Shooter titles rarely offer a solid story line. They hardly ever do a very good job justifying why you are actually doing what your doing. Typically you will run into a situation where aliens from another world invade yours and its your job to run around through numerous levels killing everything. RTCW on the other hand offers a campaign of espionage and discovery in the Nazi underground during WWII. Needless to say the campaign is very well thought out, and offers a great deal to intrigue a player. Whether it be fantasy of the Nazi's trying to unearth the dead in hopes of using them against the allies, or the bioengineering of the Nazi Super Soldier program, you will always learn something interesting, a quality, which should keep the player wanting to move forward to learn more and see what happens next.

The multiplayer aspect of RTCW is very good. Just like you would expect from any offering by ID software, the guys who started FPS multiplayer. RTCW's multiplayer is awesome in the respect that it mainly revolves around a mixture of Counter-Strike and Team Fortress. Typically you have the nazi's against the allies, and one of the teams has several objectives in order to complete the missions. The other side must stop the other time. Simple right? Not truly. Typically the defending team has a VERY defensible position, Omaha Beach (Saving Private Ryan), 'nuff said? The attacking team needs to advance and destroy several locations in a linear fashion to gain access to the final objective. Somewhat like counter-strike, however not as quick as counter-strike. A counter-strike round make last 1 to 2 minutes at time in not less, each round in RTCW may last in upwards of 10 to 15 and sometimes the attacking team will never succeed. Therefore, RTCW's multiplayer is very team oriented and very fast paced. Fortunately players get to respawn and try again.