Counter-Strike: Source

The Good
Counter-Strike: Source is all about the guns. Not just some made-up pea shooters -- Counter-Strike features dozens of real-world firearms. From the Desert Eagle to the FN Five-SeveN to the TMP to the M4A1 to the Aug, this game packs some serious heat.

Beyond the sheer realism of CS, the game offers ample opportunity to show off your skill and cunning. It's always preferable to be patient and line up your opponent's head, than run out shooting wildly until your clip is spent. Furthermore, except on the most extreme deathmatch scenarios, playing it cool, playing a cat-and-mouse game, will win the day.

One of the more popular ways to play CS these days is with the GunGame deathmatch mod, which basically means you'll be going through all the guns in the game to win a round, and you won't have to wait to respawn. Pure gaming fun, but it's generally not healthy to play for more than half an hour at a time -- too stressful!

The Bad
It's a hardcore game and can get a bit wearing after a while. Only play it if you really feel like playing it, otherwise you may start developing symptoms of stress. Seriously!

The Bottom Line
The best first-person shooter out there, single player or multiplayer. Playing against any sort of AI will never ever come close to the fun that is had playing with twenty or thirty other human beings, especially when you can chat with them through your microphone. BioShock is a flash in the pan; real gamers play CS:Source.