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The secret is the pacing, the waves of tension and release that make up each level. Being a gritty, realistic sort of tactical shooter, SWAT4 doesn’t do quicksaves or health packs, so taking care of yourself and your men is of paramount importance. What’s more, somebody had the sense to make the levels populate randomly each time. Just because there were no armed suspects in the store room last time, it doesn’t mean it will be the same when you reload. Trial and error is not a strategy for success. As a result, each level is a short, intense experience, packed with tight, sweaty moments and sudden bursts of violence.

Of course, with only 14 levels this could make for a short, intense game, but luckily each has plenty of replay value, partly as a function of the random population, partly because of the different difficulty levels and the desire to do better next time. Even if you wear out the career mode, there’s an instant action option and an online mode, pitting SWAT vs suspects in a police take on Counter-Strike with a few neat twists.

Admittedly, as PC graphics go, SWAT4 doesn’t give Half-Life 2 a run for its money on the spectacle front, but the detailed textures and realistic level design give the game an appropriately gritty, real-world feel. Night clubs, dodgy Chinese restaurants and serial killers’ lairs do the urban squalor thing almost too well: the toilets are a health hazard even before several pints of blood are shed. The character models and animation are pretty good, and believable AI helps the atmosphere no end. Your men will make mistakes, and they still have more difficulties navigating a single flight of stairs than you might expect from an elite squad of urban warriors, but they’ll happily tell you when you’re blocking their position, and they’re often more accurate and responsive in a firefight than you.

Suspects and hostages are also quite impressive, with the former proving unpredictable and capable of some sneaky tactical moves. Give an armed perp an inch to manoeuvre, and he’ll happily turn it into a blood-splattered mile. Again, there is some odd behaviour in evidence – I shouldn’t have to tear-gas an old lady in order to get her to comply – but it doesn’t really spoil the game.

And the audio is fantastic. With gunshots cracking left, right and centre, shouts ringing out from every direction, and muffled footsteps sounding somewhere near, you’re faced with almost too much information. To be honest, playing SWAT4 can be a terrifying experience.

I could go on. I could talk about the vast selection of detailed, accurately reproduced weapons, the mass of incidental detail, the little touches of self-aware humour that pepper the game. But I won’t. SWAT4 isn’t for everyone – it’s a tough game, that takes discipline and guts to get the most out of – but it’s a thrilling piece of intelligent entertainment that all fans of tactical shooters should try.

Verdict

The AI might have its dumb moments and the graphics aren’t state of the art, but SWAT4 is a taut police thriller with more edge-of-the-seat moments than most tactical shooters ever manage.

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