Even multiplayer works a treat, with multiple subs acting as a wolfpack, or just disregarding the war and torpedoing the hell out of each other for kicks. Otherwise though, it's a beautifully tense and atmospheric trip into the world of WWII U-boats. There's a touch of redundancy about the 3D interiors - full FPS-style 3D would have been welcome, rather than the Myst-style click-and-move on offer - especially since hotkeys take you instantly to any station you need. The amount of care and detail lavished on this (from the cheering crowds as you leave dock to the sausages and bananas hanging from the sub's interior ceiling beams) is phenomenal - it could so easily have been a half-hearted rushed job for a limited audience. I nearly didn't go back to Silent Hunter III after that, although it would have been my loss rather than the game's fault, since SHIII is a much-needed shot of claustrophobic goodness in a flagging genre. Except for the bit when it just bounced harmlessly off the target's bow - just another dud in a war full of the buggers.

IT TOOK the better part of a day for me to fire my first honest-to-God, non-training mode torpedo, and it came as welcome relief.