DESCRIPTION

The struggling armed nation of Outer Heaven and the remaining members of Fox-Hound have captured a nuclear weapons facility on the coast of Alaska. They're demanding that the American government hand over the remains of Big Boss, something a special-forces agent destroyed twice. If their demands are not met within a 24-hour time period, the terrorists will launch a series of nuclear warheads.

Unfortunately, there is more to the story. Not only have they infiltrated the weapons facility but they have also captured two key hostages — the DARPA Chief Donald Anderson and the President of ArmsTech, Kenneth Baker. They are being interrogated for vital information regarding the government's plans and technology to construct a new destructive device.

Solid Snake is the special-forces agent that destroyed Big Boss twice and foiled Outer Heaven's plans. Hired on a mission to mission basis, he works alone, infiltrating compounds and practicing stealth to achieve his objectives. After destroying Big Boss a second time at the Zanzibar Riot of 1999, he retired in Alaska...or so he thought.

Because of the current crisis with stolen nuclear warheads, Roy Campbell, the commander of the operation, has contacted Solid Snake and asked him to help out. His mission description was brief and to the point: infiltrate the weapons storage facility, rescue the DARPA Chief and the President of ArmsTech and destroy any special weapons being created by the terrorists. Reluctantly, Snake accepted the mission and infiltrated the base.

Critically acclaimed and widely regarded as the top PlayStation accomplishment, Konami's Metal Gear Solid comes roaring onto the PC thanks in part to Microsoft. Assuming the role of Solid Snake, players must overthrow the terrorist organization using a variety of weapons and stealth. The latter is most important in that he must remain unseen by any means necessary. If the guards or various members of Fox-Hound find him, the mission will be terminated and the warheads launched.

Remaining unseen will be a difficult task as guards patrol areas of the base and security cameras line the ceilings and halls. In order to succeed, Snake cannot run into the open since, by doing so, he'll activate security alarms and be met with heavy resistance.

Because he's working alone, this is unacceptable. Instead, Snake must pick the perfect time to strike — as a guard's back is turned, run up to him and either throw him or break his neck. When dealing with security cameras, he must wait until the camera's line of vision is positioned in such a way that he can sneak past.

Fortunately, players are provided with a radar detector that picks up guard movements and fields of vision, security camera positions and a rough map of the general area. When unwanted contact occurs with either a security camera or guard, the radar goes into Alert mode. Snake must then either confront his attackers or find a hiding place. If he can avoid the guards, the radar switches to Evasion mode (the guards cannot find Snake) and will eventually give him use of the radar.

Though he's working alone, Snake does have a few eyes and ears watching over him via Codec, a transmission and communication device. By tuning it to different frequencies, players can converse with various members helping out on the mission. Roy Campbell and Naomi Hunter provide mission information, Mei Ling offers ancient proverbs and saves your game, Natasha Romanenko is a military/weapons expert and Master Miller is one of Solid Snake's old friends and knows a lot about the environment. More become available as the game progresses.

There are also a variety of weapons and helpful items around the weapons base. Players are provided with a wide range of weaponry including the SOCOM semi-automatic pistol, FA-MAS assault rifle, C4 explosives, a variety of specialty hand grenades, the NIKITA remote controlled missile launcher and a few more.

Items include cardboard boxes for hiding purposes, rations, thermal goggles and cigarettes. The latter, though seldom used, is important as the smoke reveals security traps with hidden lasers. Players can also use a pair of binoculars that lets Solid Snake zoom in and out while watching over any given area.

Metal Gear Solid also features some bonus goodies including hardware acceleration, an optional first-person viewpoint and a revamped quick-save system. There are multiple screen resolutions supported depending on the speed and performance prowess of your computer.

As an added feature, the Metal Gear Sold: VR Missions game has been included offering 300 new objectives in the virtual world. Building upon the original in-game excursions, these missions will have you shooting inept guards and targets, practicing various weapons, competing against the clock and slinking around undetected through the Training, Time Attack and Gun Shooting modes.

Control of the action is handled via keyboard, mouse or supported gamepad, all of which are customizable to your needs. Additionally, a few extras have been included such as taking photographs of models and viewing them in a picture album — when in the album, you can change the viewpoint and zoom in, out or around. The instruction manual offers hints and advanced tactics for the succession of your mission.

Will you prevent the nuclear warheads from going off or die in the process? This is Metal Gear Solid. ~ Matthew House, All Game Guide