Can't talk now, must finish Halo 2

Sometimes the little things make this job worthwhile. On Friday, the postie delivered a review copy of Halo 2, a full week before the great unwashed, er, you lot get your hands on possibly the most eagerly awaited Xbox title since, ooh, the first one.

Bang goes weekend, says the wife. She was right. All thoughts of GTA: San Andreas or anything else went out the window once the disc booted into that soaring operatic intro. Two days passed in a blur of visceral, frantic alien slaying.

If you haven't guessed by now, Halo 2 is the dog's, the mutt's nuts. Combat is more intense, the story more involving and repetitive sections are much scarcer. Multiplayer on Xbox Live is astoundingly varied, frentic and lag-free.

Halo 2 is out on Thursday. Get in line now.