DESCRIPTION

A megalomaniac with a bankroll to rival Ted Turner's has decided to use his considerable power to engineer a war between Great Britain and China. How is this possible, you ask? Elliot Carver earned his wealth by shrewdly acquiring various media channels, including cable television stations, magazines and a newspaper called "Tomorrow." By using these resources, Carver plans on covering a story that he creates, one that could trigger World War III.

There's one fly in the ointment, however: a certain British secret agent with a license to kill and a love life to die for. Of course, this agent extraordinaire is none other than Bond — James Bond, Agent 007. As the dashing spy, you must be prepared to embark on ten different missions based on the 1998 movie of the same name, each with multiple objectives.

Your first assignment is to investigate a military outpost on the Russian border. The winter climate and secured facility call for a warm jacket and plenty of ammunition if you want a fighting chance. In addition to your trademark PK7 with silencer, Q has supplied you with a Laser Designator, medical kit and unlimited bullets. From this point on, you're on your own.

Use your skills to take out the guards in the compound, borrow any weapons left behind and neutralize the radar dish. You'll then have to find a way to escape the base by skiing down the tree-filled slopes. If you're followed, and rest assured you will be, attack using your ski poles or pull off various stunts for style. Future missions require you to escape from behind the wheel of a BMW 750 iL equipped with rockets and machine guns — nothing fancy, James.

Tomorrow Never Dies is played from a third-person viewpoint as you move around both indoor and outdoor 3D environments looking to complete your different objectives. A health meter in the top right corner of the screen will gradually change from green to yellow to orange to red as you suffer damage, but your life can be replenished by using medical kits or by finding vests of armor.

Holding the R1 button allows you to enter a Sniper mode to zoom in on your enemies, the level of which varies depending on the type of weapon you have activated. Besides the PK7, Bond can acquire a Sniper Rifle, Assault Rifle, Auto 9MM, SMG 45, Gas Bombs, GL 40 (Grenade Launcher), Rocket Launcher, Infrared Sniper Rifle and STK Mines (sticky mines).

All of the British "00" agents are allowed to use state-of-the-art gadgets to assist in their missions, and James Bond will need to become proficient with the following five devices: the Laser Designator to call in air strikes, explosive Cuff Links, a Satellite Link Camera, Fingerprint Scanner and STK Mine Detonator. Each mission will be detailed at the beginning with a voiceover from M and pictures showing your target(s).

You'll then have to complete each objective before advancing to the next stage, at which point you'll be able to save the game. Tomorrow Never Dies features analog control, vibration feedback, two levels of difficulty and memory card support (one block of space is needed to save progress). In between missions are cut-scenes from the movie (the 18th James Bond film) of the same name! ~ Scott Alan Marriott, All Game Guide