Features

Away from its controversy-bating cutscenes and the kind of setpieces that give Michael Bay an inferiority complex, the Call of Duty series has always been about one thing - its multiplayer - so here unsurprisingly is the first batch of Black Ops II DLC, Revolution, featuring all-new maps, weaponry and a zombie invasion for your Xbox 360.

You'll know the Call of Duty multiplayer routine by now - hour upon hour of fragging and the giving (and taking) of knee/crotch/chest/headshots until three in the morning, leaving you feeling like a one-man war machine, taking down all comers - or your soldier's head on the receiving end of so much lead that you could open a stationery firm.

A new set of maps, options and weaponry then is a big deal, meaning a fresh wave of murder, death, kill to indulge in, and Revolution is no different. For your blood money, it packs in four traditional multiplayer maps, a new gun to call home - the lethal-even-at-long-range Peacekeeper SMG - and the all-important zombie mode that features a new map and game mode.

First up, those four maps - the Mirage map gets all gun crazy in a Dubai hotel as you embark on a shopping, sorry, killing spree. Hydro is set in a dam and features a large symmetrical map that's easy to learn, fun to play and best of all, regularly floods. Meanwhile, things go Downhill at a French Alps ski resort as you turn freshly powdered snow blood-red while trying to avoid being decapitated by cable cars. Finally, Grind sees you shooting your way through a skate park, though sadly it lacks the option of shooting any baggy-trouser, beanie hat-wearing tools through the ankle bone.

And then you have Die Rise, set in two Shanghai towers that are in urgent need of an immediate health and safety inspection; not just because of the falling masonry but also due to a zombie infestation problem. Most importantly though is the new game mode 'Turned' where you - yes, you - are a zombie in a pack of three who must hunt down and chew on the grey matter of a single human player.

If you're looking for something truly revolutionary, much like the game series itself, you won't find it here. But for those of us FPS veterans who have a trigger finger that now resembles a claw, then Call of Duty: Black Ops II - Revolution is everything you'll need for your next bout of online death-dealing. But now with added brain-munching.