Much of the gameplay revolves around shooting

The game has a cinematic quality which plunges you into the sleazy criminal underworld of New York and the use of a graphic novel to fill in gaps in the storyline adds to a dark and brooding look.

Max Payne is full of painstakingly rendered details that make you feel you are in a real world.

After a gun battle, bullet casings litter the floor and walls are riddled with bullet holes.

In a seedy hotel, you can turn on a vibrating bed, flush the toilet or turn on the television to catch the latest news bulletin.

The game keeps you on edge, as you watch out for gangsters lying in wait or for booby-trapped doors.

Slow motion action

The main innovation in the game is the use of bullet time, which temporarily puts everything in slow motion, as in The Matrix.

Story told in graphic novel format

This is especially useful when you are in a room full of gangsters and the odds are against you, as while the action is slowed down, you can still aim as quickly as normal.

Max Payne is worth trying, if only for this feature. With bullet time, the sounds of gunfire become muted and you hear a rush of air and the pounding of Max's heart.

But playing a game like this comes at a price.

Max Payne places heavy demands on your computer so unless you have a high-spec machine, forgot about it.

Finnish developer Remedy says the minimum requirements are a 450 MHz compatible processor and 96 MB of Ram.

To fully enjoy the gameplay and the graphics, you really would need a computer with at least a 700Mhz processor and 128MB of Ram.

You also need plenty of space on your hard drive. The minimum installation is a 500 MB, while the full installation is more like 750 MB.

Max Payne is published by GodGames for the PC