If you're a WWII fanatic, it would seem that video games were custom made for you as a year doesn't go by without some form of beach storming, tank riding or sniper hunting. By now, game designers are looking to go back in time and make a new theatre of war for the Big One so that they can build a new game where you fight Nazis in the streets of Toledo. If the thought of another World War II shooter leaves you cold, try and work through those feelings as Call of Duty: World at War is a technically impressive DS shooter with plenty of content to keep you occupied.

To its credit the game tries to mix things up by putting you in the Pacific Theater at first, storming the beaches of Japanese islands, rather than French coastlines. From there you'll play as Russian and British soldiers as you tour beautiful Russia and Eastern Europe. The campaign is a change; however, when you combine the limited graphical prowess of the DS and the speed of the action, shooting a figure clad in tan doesn't represent much of a change over shooting a figure in a gray uniform. Luckily the mission objectives and game activities change themselves up enough so that you never get bored.

At the beginning of the game you'll be clearing out enemy tunnels, pausing only to complete the landmine disarming mini-game, then moving to take out a bunker, then using the very large gun in said bunker to take out some enemy ships off of the coast, then moving to take out another bunker and using the radio inside the bunker to send a message, via a Morse code mini-game to your commanding officers. The action stays frantic and varied as you progress further into the campaigns, which gives a nice feeling of never knowing what you'll be doing next.

All of this activity isn't without a small cost though, namely some graphical issues. Most of the time, the DS performs admirably, but there are times when the frame rate stutters, or it's hard to tell the enemy from the background environment. It's certainly not enough to render the game unplayable, just provide some hiccups in your efforts to cleanse the world from Axis aggression. No such problems exist on the audio side as the game provides one of the best experiences for your ears from any DS game in some time. Enemy soldiers cry out in pain and alarm, your commanding officers issue their orders in authoritative voices and the music is a great mix of quieter pieces and huge, bombastic pieces when the action picks up. It's surprising that so much quality audio can be jammed into such a tiny cartridge.

The game utilizes a control scheme that's come to be the standard for DS shooters, warts and all. The stylus acts as your mouse, giving the ability to look wherever you want to, while the d-pad provides your movement direction (southpaws can use the face buttons for movement). Firing is done via the left or right shoulder button. It's an accurate method, especially when you look down your weapon's site, pulled off by tapping the weapon site icon on the bottom screen, however it's still not the most comfortable of situations. Using your thumb to press the d-pad while also clicking the shoulder button can be a pain. You can put the DS on a flat surface, but then your finger is somewhat smushed when "firing". War truly is hell. Reloading, and weapon switching is all done via the touchscreen, as are the activities for the mini games, and things such as aiming mortars or large gun emplacements. Sprinting and crouching are done via double tapping the d-pad's up or down arrow which works, however there were a few times where even the most fervent of double taps wasn't registered correctly.

Once you've worked through the 20+ campaign missions, you can replay them to try and amass all of the various medals that the game offers for things like head shots, knee-cappers or simply dying a lot. You can also play the game's Challenge Mode which throws you into various situations from the campaign only with objectives such as "Kill x number of people in two minutes." Challenge Mode is perfect for on the go gaming when you may not have time to really get into the campaign and provides a nice break from the main story. If you find yourself at a Wi-Fi hot spot you can take your game online for some hot, multiplayer action. Did I say hot? I meant basic. None of the skill perks or character building from the next generation versions of World at War or Call of Duty 4 are here, but you do get a perfectly workable selection of the tried and true multiplayer modes, namely deathmatch, team deathmatch, hunter/prey and capture the flag. Online play was lag free however matchmaking took a fair amount of time. As usual, individual results may vary. At some point in time you'll be able to track your multiplayer stats online, however that isn't the case at present.

Call of Duty: World at War is a solid shooter that just happens to be placed in a setting that has grown tiresome over the years. Even so, the technical merits of this game shouldn't be ignored. It's a fast paced, fun game with lots of content and plenty of frantic action. Sure there are some technical limitations, but nothing that should take it off of the list of any portable shooter fan. Give the setting a pass on this one, and get in there. Your country needs you.

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