Thanks to near-relentless levels of hype and expectation – both from within Microsoft and from external sources – when you eventually load the coveted disc into your 360 it seems almost disappointing that the moment that tray closes isn’t accompanied by a choir of angels singing in joyous celebration. But regardless of all this hype and the ceaseless devotion of fans worldwide, Halo 3 is still just a videogame. It’s worth remembering this as you continue the story of the Master Chief - everyone’s favourite gravel-voiced Spartan hero – as he battles against the fanatical Covenant hordes and the seemingly unstoppable parasitic Flood.

Bungie has spent the past few years tinkering with the concept and Halo 3 undoubtedly represents the pinnacle of the developer's achievements. It may 'just' be about shooting things but the game remains as tactically rich as ever; every encounter presents multiple possibilities and rewards players for experimentation. Do you chuck a grenade, forcing your quarry to break cover, or do you attempt an outflanking manoeuvre and go in for a stealth kill from behind – thus ensuring no other enemy units are alerted to your presence? Although the player is still forced down a fairly linear route through each level, the opportunity to toy with the wide range of weapons, items and vehicles is often overwhelming; repeat play is almost a requirement if you want to get the most from Halo 3.

Possibly the biggest refinement to the core gameplay is the ability to use additional items and equipment. As was evidenced in the infamous Super Bowl 'Starry Night' trailer, the Master Chief now has access to the incredibly useful Bubble Shield, which can be planted on the ground during a firefight to provide shelter from incoming artillery. The trade-off is that when inside the confines of the bubble you cannot return fire and it does not provide protection against melee attacks; it nevertheless proves to be an exciting and worthy addition to proceedings. Other items – such as portable jump pads, deployable plasma shields and removable gun emplacements that grant the player a frightening amount of offensive capability - litter the levels and discovering how best to accommodate them within your battle strategy proves to be immensely entertaining: another layer of depth painted over the already complex canvas that is Halo.

Much has been said about the visuals and many forums have quickly descended into unsightly flame wars since the game was released; many claim the graphics are simply sumptuous while others maintain that this is merely 'Halo 2.5'. To clear things up: Halo 3 looks fantastic. Granted, there are better-looking next-generation titles out there – Gears of War is arguably more impressive - but considering the complexity of the levels and sheer amount of activity that occurs within them it would be naive to not anticipate some sacrifices. When played in glorious HD Halo 3 simply cannot be classed as disappointing; the first encounter with a Scarab tank - glistening in the sunlight as it leaves a lumbering trail of death and destruction on the streets of New Mombassa - is a true stand-out moment. The game engine does stutter occasionally (usually during cutscenes for some strange reason) but on the whole anyone who feels short-changed by the visual feast that Bungie has served up must certainly have very high standards.

To accompany the pleasing visuals Martin O'Donnell has delivered the goods yet again with a rousing and suitably epic musical score. This is buttressed by some excellent spot effects and what feels like a million lines of snappy dialogue. The participants in the first two games were reasonably chatty but here the range of speech is nothing short of amazing; even after hours of play it’s still possible to hear new snippets from both friends and foes alike. Many comments are knowing nods to past Halo games and it’s fair to say that dedicated Bungie fanboys will lap up these little audio gems.

When Bungie introduced online play with Halo 2 they effectively split the game down the middle; the single-player portion was seen by many as secondary to what they believed to be the true game: the multiplayer mode. The fact that Halo 3 continues this criterion could be a good or bad thing depending on your point of view. While it's immense fun, the Solo Campaign also serves as a gentle introduction to the online aspect of Bungie’s epic, the polish of which is truly astonishing. No stone has been left unturned - the range of options available is stupefying, permitting even the most persnickety of players to adjust each match to suit their own personal preference.

Being able to revisit locations previously seen in the Solo Campaign and explore the different tactics and possibilities bestowed by human assistance makes the Online Campaign feel like you’re playing an entirely different game altogether. A plethora of gaming modes is served up including 'Capture the Flag' and the good old 'Death match'. Establishing a multiplayer game and inviting prospective players is a breeze and Halo 3 neatly circumvents some of the teeth-pulling procedures other games of this type seem to force players to endure.

However, it gets even better. The ingenious 'Forge' mode allows players to shape and modify their Halo experience, dropping in vehicles and other items whilst games are in progress. Although it doesn’t allow the level-design options that many PC titles of this ilk have done for a while now, Forge nevertheless expands the scope of Halo 3 in such a way that attempting to rate such a game based on only a few days' play seems almost churlish; given the dizzying amount of configurations and gameplay possibilities offered by this impressive feature it would not be unreasonable to expect 360 owners to still be happily playing Halo 3 for many years to come. The icing on the cake comes in the shape of the 'Theatre' mode that allows players to view retained footage of their previous missions. This feature will swallow up more time than might otherwise be expected and it’s not unreasonable to set aside a few minutes after the completion of each level to appreciate some of your finer 'action hero' moments, captured for posterity. This really is a game that will keep on giving.

Naturally, there are negative elements here, too. While the level design is generally excellent throughout, Halo 3 only really shines when it’s out of doors. The corridor sections often prove to be disappointingly monotonous and ultimately limit the tactical possibilities that make the game such a boon to play. Also, one of the later missions throws up a particularly harsh difficulty spike and proves to be an incredibly frustrating mess as a result; it’s the only time that Halo 3 falters in this regard but will undoubtedly cause even the most ardent fan to throw down their 360 pad in dismay.

To some The Arbiter may have represented Halo’s equivalent of Metal Gear Solid’s Raiden – a character that fans love to hate – but it’s disappointing to see his otherwise riveting story pushed so far into the shadows. Whereas Halo 2 developed this noble alien adversary and granted an intriguing depth to the storyline, Halo 3 all but jettisons the disgraced Elite warrior; he tags along for the ride but never seems to infringe on the Master Chief’s screen time, save for a little scene of his own as the game comes to a close. Is this possibly a case of Bungie listening a little too closely to the fans who were irked by that the fact that The Arbiter was a playable character in Halo 2?

The plot that runs through the Halo trilogy could never be described as straightforward but there are genuine moments of true head-scratching befuddlement here; The Chief often moves from location to location with practically no explanation and this only serves to reinforce the negative perception that the game is nothing more that a series of successive but largely unconnected combat situations. The cutscenes look lovely and are ably directed but it’s not unusual to find yourself wondering just what the hell is going on.

Another disappointment is the often-clumsy ally AI. While the enemy units display proficient level intelligence, your marine companions often struggle to cope with the enemy onslaught. This is never more evident as when you’re riding alongside a CPU driver in a Warthog; they drive so erratically you half expect them to crack open a crate of Carling midway through the mission.

Forget the hype, the merchandise and the media-friendly sound bites from Microsoft executives about the 'cultural impact' of the franchise – Halo 3 is still a videogame, and a bloody good one at that. It has faults, but they’re largely forgivable in the light of the almost innumerable positive aspects present, particularly in the multiplayer portion of the game. Sadly for Microsoft it isn’t worthy of being called 'The Best Game Ever', but Halo 3 is without a doubt a fitting conclusion to one of modern entertainment's most captivating and wildly successful brands.