Left 4 Dead casts you as one of four characters who have found themselves in the middle of a full-on zombie apocalypse. It's up to you and however many people you're playing with to fight your way across the city to an evacuation point, without getting your brains eaten. Matters are further complicated by the fact that the zombies in question run and climb, so they can be on you in a matter of seconds. And if that wasn't bad enough, aside from the regular zombies you face, you also run into several types of super zombie, each with their own gruesome special abilities. My personal favourite is the boomer, a slow and fat zombie that can vomit upon survivors - yes, really - instantly making that survivor or group of survivors the regular zombies' priority target.

The problem with a lot of multiplayer games is that while they may let players work together as a team, a lot of people just tend to wander off and do their own thing. This is especially true when you're playing a game with people you have just met. Except in the case of Left 4 Dead, where  teamwork is not only encouraged, it's more or less compulsory. That's not to say that that players are fitted with Battle Royale 2 style electronic collars that explode if they get too far apart. No, Left 4 Dead's approach is a little more subtle than that. Some of the foes you face in the game are capable of taking out an opponent very quickly, leaving you lying bleeding on the floor. Now, if someone can get to you in time, you're okay. But if you've wandered too far away, the chances are no-one will be there to rescue you.

However, you needn't worry about getting slaughtered the moment you step outside each level's ammo room. Left 4 Dead has its own 'Director' system, which means that the console/computer intelligently distributes zombies throughout the level, without utterly overwhelming the player. So if there's a quiet period, you might find it'll throw a horde of zombies at you. Or if you've just taken a lot of damage, it might give you a bit of a breather. And while it will introduce super zombies, it won't suddenly spawn four of the most power zombies in the same area. Well, unless you pick the highest difficultly level, that is, in which case you can expect a major fight on your hands.

There's actually two multiplayer modes  - campaign mode and versus mode. Campaign mode has you shooting your way through a variety of locations including a hospital, sewer, small town and so on, spread over four campaigns. Which makes for a total of twenty levels in all, though one or two of the levels do look a bit samey. If you don't have a full complement of four survivors on your side, the computer will take control of the remaining survivors which is handy. Versus mode is very similar, with two main differences. The first difference that you can only play through two of the individual campaigns. Aw. But the good news is, you get to play as the infected. And not the common garden variety zombies, either. As the survivors try to make their way to the exit, you take control of one of the super zombies, respawning when you die, and attempt to take out the survivors. It's a hell of a lot of fun, although you do get your comeuppance when the round ends and you have to play as the survivors defending yourself from the people you were trying to kill earlier.

I can honestly say that Left 4 Dead is one of the best multiplayer games I have ever played. Not only does it genuinely encourage teamplay, but it's tense and hugely addictive. The only problem is - it's bloody expensive for what it is. Because while the game does have a single player mode, it's a bit boring and feels tacked on - and half of the fun is outwitting your human opponents. But at least playing as the zombies against the computer must be fun, right? Er, no. Because for some reason you can have the computer controlled survivors fighting alongside you, but you can't fight against them. So what you're left with a game that is only really worth having for its multiplayer mode. That wouldn't be a problem if it was priced at £19.99. But this is a full priced 360 release, and the PC version also costs thirty quid or so. If this were priced more reasonably, it'd be a must have. As is, it's worth checking out but you might want to wait until it hits budget before buying it yourself.