The arrival of Solid Snake on GameCube can only be a good thing for Nintendo, and the hype that has surrounded this latest instalment of Konami's stealth-em-up series is surely testament to that fact. Well the game has finally made its way onto the shelves, giving owners of Nintendo's little purple box the chance to relive the adventure of the original PlayStation Metal Gear Solid, but with the benefit of heavily revamped visuals and a host of new features akin to the PS2's Sons of Liberty.

As you'll already know, the game casts you as the legendary expert covert agent Solid Snake, charged with the task of infiltrating an Alaskan nuclear missile disposal facility, which is now under terrorist control. Objectives are fairly straightforward: enter the base, eliminate the terrorist group known as FOXHOUND, and neutralise the nuclear threat - the famous weapon codenamed Metal Gear.

Being more or less a heavily polished remake of the PSX original, the gameplay within Twin Snakes retains the ultra-emphasised stealth approach synonymous with the series. As such, you have control of a great many of Snakes skills and abilities as you subtlely make your way through the heavily guarded base. You can sneak behind guards, stow them in lockers, use silenced weapons to take out targets from afar, and also use all his covert skills to bypass security systems, patrolled areas and to enter restricted areas. New to the GameCube remake are a number of new gameplay elements - some of which you'll recognise if you've played Sons of Liberty - such as an optional first-person view of the action, and the ability to hang off ledges and to open and search lockers.

As well as the new visual and gameplay elements, the game also features a host of new CG sequences, specially created for the game, which have been overseen by the renowned Japanese film director Ryuhhei Kitamura. Utilising the latest in motion-capture techniques, the new sequences also benefit from the voice acting talents of David Hayter - the voice of Solid Snake in his previous adventures.

Quite an important title in Nintendo's 2004 release schedule, Twin Snakes will undoubtedly receive a fair amount of attention from the small yet dedicated GameCube community. Players of the original PSX Metal Gear will surely agree that the game is undoubtedly worth replaying - those that haven't should have an even greater incentive to do so.