I confess, I haven't been outside for a week. Not because SABC has suddenly started to provide quality TV or because of the dreary Cape Town weather — although that has served as a convenient excuse for my new addiction.

Rather I've been saving Mars... single-handedly... using only a hammer... and living off nothing but scrap.

Impressed? Well not nearly as impressed as you will be with the third instalment in the 'Red Faction' series.

Eight years after the release of the first 'Red Faction' game, the objective is still the same: release Mars from oppression. The Earth Defence Force (EDF) who liberated the planet from the evil Ultor Corporation in the original has proven that it is in fact a bunch of power hungry bastards.

With Mars under pressure from Earth to supply natural resources, the EDF relies on slave labour to meet the demand and has created what is essentially a communist society that would make Stalin proud. They torture, they imprison, they shoot first and ask questions later.

They're the Bush administration without the need for Guantánamo. And it's your job, as Alec Mason, a miner who was recently transferred to Mars, to kick their sorry asses off the planet.

And kicking ass is exactly what you do. As he rips his way through the stark environment using an arsenal of explosives and weapons (which he gets by trading scrap) the mild Mason turns into a one-man battalion. He takes no prisoners, he treasures no vehicles and, thanks to Volition's Geo-Mod 2 technology (which allows the player to utterly destroy surroundings), he willy nilly wrecks pretty much everything in his path.

The game is divided into a series of optional and story missions that you can complete in any way you see fit. Missions are varied and can include anything from rescuing team members or distracting the EDF while colonists escape, to enlisting the help of the native Martian tribes.

Progress can be slow as many missions are only available once you have wrested a certain amount of control from the EDF, usually by blowing up their strongholds, intercepting their communications or rescuing hostages. Once all the story missions for each section have been completed you can move into the next sector.

A big change from the earlier games is the new third-person view (previously it was a first-person shooter). As with most third-person shooters you benefit from the additional perspective and background.

Unfortunately, you pay for this new perk with frustrating and irregular camera angles that always seem to come into play when you're in a squeeze and need to get out quickly. Fortunately though, the controls are responsive and easy to get used to despite the initial feeling that there are too many buttons for your fingers, so getting out of those tight spots isn't impossible.

Another gripe is the script and storyline which is full of clichés and painfully repetitive but, really, when you're tasked with saving Mars, do you care if your team's dialogue is a little stunted?

The multiplayer option allows you to add up to 16 players to your game and also unlocks new challenges, maps and weapons. It's an excellent, fun experience that will hugely expand your gameplay.

The magnificent AI, seamless graphics, well designed missions and replay value more than make up for the minor drawbacks., And truthfully, even with its faults 'Red Faction: Guerrilla' is a hell of a lot of fun and ultimately that's what counts. That... and big explosions.

If anyone's looking for me, I'll be liberating Mars.

8.3/10

Buy this game: PS3 | Xbox 360 | PC

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