World War 3 has arrived with the triumphant return of Activision and Infinity Ward’s Call of Duty: Modern Warfare franchise, and the final instalment of the epic three-part campaign concludes the hunt for number one bad guy Vladimir Makarov.

The campaign takes place in various familiar locations around the world — London, Berlin, Paris and New York are all seen in a devastated war-torn state, giving players a much more chaotic environment in which to fulfil their objectives. The single-player mode has also been scripted by an Oscar-winning writer and features cameo voiceovers from a number of Hollywood stars including William Fichtner (Agent Mahone from Prison Break) and Timothy Olyphant of Hitman fame. With Makarov still at large, players continue to scour the underbelly of the international terrorism network whilst simultaneously defending major nations of the world from the onslaught of the Russian Army. The action involved in Modern Warfare 3 is simply unparalleled, and serves up some more of the series’ famous jaw-on-floor moments.

But if the single-player is good, then Modern Warfare 3’s multiplayer mode is excellent. As with previous Call of Duty games, the frantic combat and persistent leveling system never fail to get you hooked. All of the 16 new maps set in the aforementioned locales are fun to play, and a load of new challenges, perks, killstreaks and upgrades mean that whether you play for five minutes or five hours you always feel like you’re achieving something. It isn’t simply just more of the same, as new features freshen up gameplay variety and the balance of games, meaning that one game is never the same as the last.

Considering all of the above, it stands to reason that Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 has succeeded in being the biggest entertainment launch in history, grossing $400 million within its first 24 hours. Essential gaming and a stellar final instalment to an impressive series.

Rating: 90%

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 (2011), published by Activision, is available on PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, Wii and PC.