There are very few games these days that can be classed as “good value for money” but The Orange Box is just that.
Giving you 5 games – yes 5! on the one disk is not only excellent value for money but the games included really are something special.

The five games that make up the orange box are the hugely successful Half Life2, Half Life 2: episode 1, Half Life 2: episode 2, Portal and Team Fortress 2.
With the Half Life 2 games you are getting a very entertaining single player game. The game follows on from the popular Half Life PC game and has a rather interesting storyline, an excellent range of weapons and a whole feast of bad guys to smash, shoot and destroy in numerous ways.
It's fair to say that the Half Life2 games are easily some of the best first person shooters available on any format.

You become Gordon Freeman, helping the human race from being taken over by the enemy combine. Along the way you'll not only find yourself using various weapons but you'll also be driving water vehicles, cars and destroying large enemy gunships. The graphics and sounds are excellent, the story will suck you in and keep you wanting to play from start to finish and the whole experience will keep you entertained throughout. Certainly not one to miss out on.

Portal is a little different from any normal game. It is a puzzle based game that involves the use of portals to allow you to travel to various areas on each level before reaching a final goal. Add to this a great mix of comedy as you progress and at times some challenging puzzles and you again have something special to play. For me this was a rather surprising game – I was expecting a bit of a gimmick puzzle game that would get very repetitive and annoying but the comedy moments are genius and it feels like there is a storyline to play through as well as reaching the goals to each puzzle area.

Team Fortress 2 is an online only multiplayer game. Players choose there character from one of the many options and fight against  the enemy team in a bid to capture certain points on the map or attack/defend points on the map. With characters ranging from medics to soldiers, guys with flame throwers to spies who can disguise themselves as a member of the opposing team there is something for everyone. Add to this some great humour and yet again we have another great title.

Team Fortress 2 is great fun to play and you can lose hours playing through each map mode with a bunch of friends. I've found myself getting much more enjoyment from this game that I have from halo3's online offerings. It has a cartoon look and feel to it but plays superbly and suffers very little from connection problems or players lagging. Easily one of the most enjoyable online games around at the moment.

I'll keep this review short and to the point. With the orange box your getting 5 great games. The Half Life 2 games and portal will take a few good days of solid playing to work your way through and Team Fortress 2 will keep you entertained for many weeks after that. It's a bargain buy that you really shouldn't miss out on.