As we played through the level for the first time, we found ourselves dying quite frequently, with the opposition cutting through us when we were out in open positions. However, once we began to push the military forces back, the stalker allies moved forward and became more aggressive. Moving away from the area, we could see the A-Life technology in action as a military helicopter flew in to replenish the armed forces in the area. Shortly afterward, a THQ representative demonstrated to us that with a little exploration, you can avoid the fire fight altogether and find the underground opening that would have been revealed if you had extracted the allied leader.

Although S.T.A.L.K.E.R. appears to be a traditional first-person shooter, there's a role-playing element to managing your inventory. You're limited in the amount of equipment you can carry by weight, so you have to balance the guns and ammo you take with you. You can swap weapons with those from fallen enemies, and we soon found weapons that suited our individual playing style based on their ranges and firing spread. Likewise, although carrying stronger armor will prove useful against enemy attacks, it's heavier and takes up more room in your inventory. As you travel around the zone, there's plenty to scavenge, as well as buy from traders, so you'll be able to experiment with a variety of combinations as you play.

The final part of the game on show was the multiplayer, with three different modes available. Deathmatch and team deathmatch are self-explanatory kill-or-be-killed modes, while artefact hunt is the S.T.A.L.K.E.R. equivalent of capture the flag. The eight-player deathmatch mode was a blast to play on a local network, and while it offers nothing revolutionary, it's a simple and enjoyable game to get into. As with Counter-Strike, you have to buy guns at the beginning of each round, and while there were places to climb up and hide, the level we played was an open environment that resulted in plenty of quick kills.