It wasn't the first shooter to be played from a first person perspective, but there's little argument that Counterstrike is the PC game that pioneered the competitive aspect of online gaming. It's been years since CS became the team game of choice online. It's probably spawned more tournaments than any other game and is still a staple of LAN parties. Microsoft's Xbox version has a lot to live up to if it hopes to be the addictive, competitive game of choice of Xbox Live subscribers.

Let's get one thing out of the way early: As online console gaming grows in popularity, more games are focusing on online play. More and more of those games are described as being much better when played online. When it comes to Counterstrike we can take that statement even further and say that without Xbox Live there is no reason to own CS, unless you're really into setting up Xbox LANs. The offline component it exactly the same as being online, except computer controlled bots are used in place of real players. There is no story, campaign or set of missions. If you don't hook up to the Internet with your Xbox, don't buy Counterstrike. In that sense, CS may be unique. I don't know of another game so lacking in offline playability. It's not even worth it to play offline for practice. No matter how bad you think you are, you have a shot online.

Which also makes CS stand out from other games in a good way. No matter how good a player is, and believe me you'll come across some that make your jaw drop, everyone in the game is just one move away from sitting out the rest of the round. It's a sublime mixture of skill, knowledge and luck that makes CS so much fun. You have to know the controls and be able to aim and move just right to be effective. And you really absolutely have to know the maps so you know where to expect other players and where everyone is trying to go. But no matter how much experience and practice you have with those two things, there's no guarantee there isn't someone around the next corner with a shotgun.

There are two types of games in Counterstrike: Bomb Defusal and Hostage Rescue. In Bomb Defusal the terrorists have one bomb and one chance to blow it up at one of two possible target areas. The Counter Terrorist team must defuse the bomb once it's planted. Hostage Rescue is the CT team's opportunity to raid a terrorist area and get hostages to follow them to a rescue point. It's fair to say, though, that many games end not in the accomplishment of the respective mission but rather become a last-man-standing affair. Your performance each round earns you money and you use that money at the beginning of the next round to purchase new guns, ammo and equipment. Weapons include pistols, machine guns, assault rifles, shotguns, sniper rifles and a few different grenades.

The graphics and sound are adequate, but they're not what will keep you coming back to the game. Player models look fine and distinguishable, even from far away. Most animations are a bit clunky, but death animations are still better than a lot of shooters even though there's no discernable attempt at rag doll physics. Paying attention to sound in CS is key - as each weapon sounds a bit different and some really stand out. A sniper rifle or shotgun going off around the corner is a clue you don't want to miss. And if you're anwhere near a grenade when it goes off your ears will ring for a few seconds. These nice little touches make the game feel that much more genuine.

Counterstrike really only falters in the area of extra features, the little extra thoughts that have been added to a lot of other shooters in the past few years. It would be nice to know where teammates are during a round, as it's done on the scoreboard in Wolfenstein - though it could be argued that a little confusion in a real fight is a good thing. It would also be nice to know which players are joining which sides before the game starts so that it's easier to keep teams together between matches. And hopefully CS for the Xbox will see the modifications and evolutions that hearken to its roots. A variety of player skins would be a nice free download, for example.

The Xbox Live headset comes in as handy as always and even stubborn PC veterans will have to admit that CS is better when everyone on the team can talk to each other. It's a team game, after all, and strategy happens faster and more efficiently when you can speak to one another.

The biggest complaint about CS on the Xbox is the graphics, but graphics had nothing to do with what made Counterstrike popular in the first place. Which brings up the question: What made Counterstrike into such a huge phenomenon? The obvious answer is that it was fun, relatively easy to learn yet intricate enough to reward practice. The same could be said for most successful games. The only thing not on that list is that Counterstrike for PC was free. Obviously, the Xbox version is not free so it's well within reason to hold it to a higher standard. It's also fair to compare it to other games that haven't been around for so many years and which aren't being sold almost solely on reputation, as one could argue Counterstrike is. But at the end of the gaming day, Counterstrike is still fun, addictive and rewarding and it shouldn't have its rich history held against it. It ranks right up there with any shooting game on Xbox Live.