SOCOM 3: U.S. Navy Seals (PlayStation 2)

In SOCOM 3: U.S. NAVY SEALs off-line missions, players lead a squad of four Navy SEALs as they take on terrorists and renegade militias in three settings around the globe: North Africa, Southeast Asia, and Poland. Over the course of more than a dozen missions, the team rescues hostages, snatches dictatorial leaders out of desert spider holes, and completes a variety of other war-on-terror-era military adventures.

The game's action ranges from run-and-gun shooting to stealthy sneaking. Players choose from a wealth of realistic military gear and weapons to outfit their squad. Players also blow up buildings and vehicles with explosives and heavy weapons.

SOCOM 3 provides thrilling firefights in one of the best online games on the PlayStation 2. It improves on its predecessors by including drivable vehicles like boats and humvees, and allows easier, one-button commands for the squad. The artificial intelligence is only so-so; players may find it easiest to proceed Rambo-style, taking down hundreds of enemies single-handedly. While the gear looks real, the military action is over the top: When characters are shot, blood sprays onto their clothes and the ground.

Players with high-speed Internet access can compete with up to 31 others in a range of missions, from death matches to cooperative challenges. Parents should know the popular SOCOM community has a lot of trash-talkers and havoc-wreaking pranksters. To deal with this, players can form clans among their friends and block obnoxious players, but to participate in online rankings or join a clan, players must enter a credit card number (although there is no charge).