Xbox game has plenty of guns, not much plot

Fast-paced action, dazzling weapons and a variety of play modes make "Unreal Championship" one of the best pure shooters on the shelf for the Xbox.

Plot? There really isn't one. But who needs a plot when the next enemy is just a footstep away -- and he's armed with a rocket launcher aimed right at you, with his finger on the trigger?

"Unreal Championship" comes to us from Digital Extremes and Infogrames as a follow to one of my favorite shooters, "Unreal Tournament." The game supports online play, which should be spectacular.

Modes include Deathmatch, in which you ascend a ladder through maze-like venues by wiping out console-controlled opponents. You move on when you reach a preset number of kills before your opponents do.

Team Deathmatch is similar, except that you head a team of four players. Three roam on their own, and their kills (and deaths) are reported back to you. Again, you must reach a preset number of kills before the other team.

You race through hallways or ride elevators between levels, with enemies around every corner. Start shooting as soon as you see one; there's plenty of ammo and new weapons around every corner, so you have to try really hard to run out.

There's a new twist to the game. So-called "mutators" allow you to do a variety of nifty things, like draining your opponent's life to refill your own, giving yourself a big head (literally), modifying your Shock rifle for instant killing power or trading weapons, all with the touch of a button.

There are also "adrenaline" pills scattered around. Collect 100 and you can perform such tricks as turning invisible or moving more quickly.

Graphics get a B. Weapons effects are excellent, and the venues provide just the right mix of detail, texture and terror. Occasionally, serious frame-rate slowdown mars an otherwise great-looking game.

Control gets a B. Your character is easy to move around and weapons changes are smooth and glitch-free.

Sound gets a B. Weapons and the sounds of combat are very good. Knock off some points for bad music and weak, limited voice acting. Hooked up to my new-for-Christmas surround sound system, the racket is awesome.

I'm giving "Unreal Championship" a B. Plenty of action, lots of noise and excitement and a minimum of exhausted brain cells make it a great choice for an afternoon of mindless fun.