The year is 2012, six years since the second explosion at the Chernobyl nuclear plant (they kept that one quiet). The land is still recovering from the first explosion and the subsequent nuclear cloud has been saturated a second time and things have changed. Dark things, barely human things now exist in Stalker – Shadow of Chernobyl.

Without spoiling to much of the game you are cast in the role of a stalker, who finds himself slap bang in the middle of the tainted land. You have no idea why, and with even less idea of what you purpose in life could be. The initial phase of the game has you coming to grips with some of the game concepts, however there is very little instruction and a lot of discovery required. Initially you are tasked with some quests to complete in the immediate starting zone. What strikes you first about the game is how big these areas are and how scary they can be.

You set forth not knowing much and armed only with a pistol and an empty back pack. In short order you discover that the pistol is not particularly accurate and has very little stopping power. The game mechanics are such is that considerable amount of effort has been made to make the weapons as realistic as possible; you even need to take into account the fall of the bullets over distance.

Weapons use different types of ammunition and you will be ever juggling the contents of your pack to ensure that you have stocks for you current weapon. You can only arm your self with two weapons at one time, a side arm and rifle/sub-machine gun - the weapon of last resort being a knife.

You can find weapon addons such as silencers, scopes and grenade launchers to add to the potency and utility of your gun. The more you use a particular weapon the more it will jam from wear. Part of the game play is the constant searching of bodies foe more ammunition and weapons to replace your stocks.

Realistically your pack is restricted by weight and size. There is only so much room and so much weight you can carry, the latter being the biggest restriction. Carry too much and you will tire more easily and not run as far, and if you overburden yourself severely enough you will not be able to move at all. A couple of weapons, some ammo, food and medicals will pretty much get you to this limit. Luckily there are storage lockers strewn about the zones that you can place your surplus kit in for later use.

Inside a zone there is very little restriction on where you can go. Unlike other FPS games there is no set path to travel - it's up to you how you get to your quest and how you complete it.

Zones can contain a whole city or small farms and villages. Most buildings are accessible and with quite a few underground areas to explore as well. The environment is in the mode of “Soviet Drab”. There is heaps of detail and clutter that hints at the catastrophe that has befallen the area. It is beautifully crafted and you have a real sense of foreboding and decay.

The environment rather than just being a backdrop is a living environment. Humans (a term we use loosely) and the animals (even more loosely) are not fixed in place: they each go about their lives, such as it is. Clear an area of military personnel and if you pass that way again you may find that the bandits have moved in. Packs of creatures roam the lands in search of food. Generally, you are the preferred food source. Mix in environmental factors such as wind and rain the game seems to be alive, while at the same time full of dread and foreboding.