Two years on, when the game showed up unexpectedly at Leipzig's Game Convention, the game didn't appear to be quite up to scratch with the leaders in the FPS field. The obvious question is whether or not the game can cut it in a world full of on-rails technical marvels, such as F.E.A.R. and Half-Life 2. Bolshakov simply points out that S.T.A.L.K.E.R. is a different game. "We have RPG elements, communication and trade," he says. "There are seven different endings and depending on how you play you'll reach a different one. It's a pretty much open-ended game. A bunch of these features put together I think will determine a unique positioning for S.T.A.L.K.E.R."

With the game heading for a first-quarter release next year, we won't have to wait long to see if he's correct. GSC's PR manager, Valentine Yeltyshev, agrees with Bolshakov on the separation between S.T.A.L.K.E.R. and the rest of the 3D action pack. He tells us that THQ's close management of the game hasn't detracted from the original vision. "We are making the game that we understand it to be, a game that we want to play ourselves," he says. "So we're making a good game for us, for our taste."

That doesn't mean they're not nervous, though. Given they've been working on S.T.A.L.K.E.R. for five years, it'd be difficult to blame them. "It's a little bit scary for us because we're making the game that many players dream of," says Yeltyshev. "We're scared of not giving them the game they expect. We're interested in adding sounds and making a great atmosphere, so the atmosphere will be completely OK. It's outstanding.  "But there will people that will not like, for example, the gameplay, and there will be people that like it completely."

The latest changes, says Yeltyshev, will open up the game's target audience, and he admits that the idea of having a controlled storyline is now a key hook for the game. "We've made the gameplay more active, more unpredictable, interesting, not just boring surfing through the Zone," he says. "We've implemented a great storyline that will always surprise the player with interesting turns and events."