I'm trying really hard not to start with a cliché as in - this mission, if you choose to accept it... because this isn't a mission it's a preview of the latest game from the Mission Impossible franchise. You'll probably hear a lot of clichés in the build-up to the games release and not just sayings from the television programmes and films, but because another stealth and espionage title is going to hit the market.

The plot of MI:OS involves the player stepping into Ethan Hunt's role as super spy (Hunt was played by Tom Cruise in the films). Hunt has to travel the globe to such places as the Middle East, Rome, and Eastern Europe to try and stop the shadowy Surma Corporation, led by ex-intelligence agent Simon Algo. They have created a virus called Ice Worm that allows the terrorist group to break into any computer in the world (Oh my God the horror!)

Stealth is the name of the day and as you would expect, Hunt has a wide variety of weapons and gadgets (the gadgets we lurrve the gadgets). These include the usual array of guns - pistols, machine guns, sniper rifles, etc. He also has an electronic warfare gun that allows him to disable cameras and track enemies.

The gadgets include Night Vision Contacts (so cool!), and the Wasp gadget, which is a miniature robot that combines weapons and surveillance capabilities to scout and take out targets. He also uses a BCM (binocular/camera/microphone) to track targets from a distance. Using this with a sonic image device allows Hunt to see through walls and plan more stealthy attacks.

Thankfully MI:OS has a fully adjustable camera and as the game is in the third person perspective this should hopefully stop any disruption to the gameplay. We all know how annoying it is when you can't see yourself getting pulverised because of a poorly placed pillar.

Progression through each level has a linear structure, with the player combining stealth, weapon and hand to hand combat, and the use of gadgets to accomplish tasks and goals. Players will have to tackle puzzles such as extracting data or, like in the film, using a micro cord to navigate horizontally through a laser grid.

Being an all round super spy, Hunt has certain abilities to help him navigate those tricky levels and dangerous terrain. He can vault and mantle objects, hand walk on ledges (Pah! Simple circus trickery), hug walls to get through tight gaps, crouching and creeping, traverse pipes and girders, and in true tradition of stealth he can dispose of guards bodies, sneak past them unnoticed, distract them, tranquillise them or if he's feeling particularly nasty, take them prisoner. Phew, and I thought being a spy was easy! You never saw James Bond walking on his hands. The game even includes a bit of skydiving to liven things up even more.

Hunt can also interact with other members of the IMF team including, Luther Stickell, Billy Baird, a newcomer in Jasmine Curry, a con artist George Spelvin and in the best possible spy traditions there's even a love interest. Hunt lusts after Sofia Ivanescu, an attractive computer expert and designer of the Ice Worm virus. He will also come in contact with an range of baddies including, a ruthless Yugarian military officer (don't bother with the atlas, Yugaria ain't real), an international mercenary with links to the Triads, and of course the big boss man Simon Algo. Oh and I almost forgot, what's the best way to fool an evil henchman? Yes you've guessed it - the good old Mission Impossible disguises and masks, which are included in the game and are obtained by taking pictures of key targets as part of mission goals.

So, Mission Impossible: Operation Surma sounds the part and from the screenshots it's looking sweet as well thanks to a internally developed graphics engine that optimises character action gameplay. Lets just hope it can avoid the jinx a film often has on a game, but if Atari can deliver the goods it's going to be great fun.

Oh and by the way - this message will self-destruct in 5 seconds! (Oh come on it's like asking a dog not to fetch the stick!)

Preview By: Jon Dow