By Neil McGreevey BBC Northern Ireland

EA scanned the stars for the characters in the game

This time the action shifts to the third person in a globetrotting adventure that blends shooting, driving and even flying in such exotic locales as Peru, Moscow, New Orleans and Egypt.

The story comes from the pen of Bruce Feirstein, who was behind the screenplays of three recent Bond movies.

Players can quite literally do all the things that make Bond great - blow up helicopters with rockets, chase baddies in cars stuffed with gadgets and lay on the charm with a gaggle of lovely ladies.

Luckily, you have a fantastic arsenal of weapons and gadgets at your disposal.

Stellar cast

EA throws everything into the mix - with stealth, driving and all-out blasting.

Model Heidi Klum lends a touch of glamour and menace

Each level has plenty of "Bond Moments" to activate - from making spectacular jumps to giving the ladies a massage.

Pierce Brosnan heads a stellar cast who have lent their mugs (thanks to EA's "cyberscanning" process) and vocal cords to their virtual counterparts.

John Cleese and Dame Judi Dench are joined by Heidi Klum, Shannon Elizabeth and Willem Dafoe as Bond's nemesis.

Even Richard Kiel is back to reprise his role as the dentally-challenged Jaws.

The obligatory title song, Everything or Nothing, is performed by Mya, who also puts in an appearance as a Bond girl.

Shaken and stirred

Another cool new feature is the cooperative multiplayer mode, where a team of your mates must work together to bust the levels.

Jaws looks to take a bite out of Bond

Yet beneath the kind of production values only a wallet as fat as EA's could pay for, lies a game that - despite the shift to third-person - is not sufficiently different to previous Bond outings.

If you did not warm to Agent Under Fire or Nightfire, this will not offer anything more to entice you.

Still, with plenty of bright flashes, loud bangs and set-pieces galore, the latest Bond outing from EA is so authentic you will be gagging for a vodka martini by the end of it all.

Like the other pretenders to the Bond crown, Everything or Nothing fails to dethrone Goldeneye on the crusty old N64 for sheer gameplay.

But the heady cocktail of firepower, fisticuffs and driving will leave most action junkies shaken and stirred.