By BBC News Online's Alfred Hermida

Since it was first released for the PC in 1998, Half-Life has won numerous accolades as one of the best computer games of all time.

This first-person shoot-em-up was attributed with breathing new life into a stale format.

Three years on, as the game makes its debut on the Playstation 2, fans of the game will be glad to hear that not much has changed.

Some elements of the game have been tweaked, with enhanced graphics and improved characters and environments.

But the PS2 version succeeds in retaining the exciting and challenging nature of the original.

Engaging scenario

Half-Life casts you as Gordon Freeman, a scientist newly assigned to a top secret research lab.

The PS2 version keeps the same opening scene as the original, drawing you into the game and setting the tone for this thoroughly engaging adventure.

Creatures from another dimension

When an experiment goes wrong, creatures appear from another dimension, intent on sucking the life out of you.

And if these were not enough, army death squads are sent in to clean up the mess and get rid of any witnesses.

What makes Half-Life stand out is not so much its story, but how it is presented.

It creates an atmosphere of suspense, with the developers using every device they can think of to wrong-foot and surprise you.

Little new

However, if you have played Half-Life literally to death on your PC, there is little in the PS2 version that is new.

For the Playstation, there is a new cooperative game called Decay, as well as a head-to-head option to battle your friends.

But with these, the graphics have been compromised to accommodate the split-screen mode.

This does not detract from the appeal of the game itself.

If you have never explored this spectacular adventure, then Half-Life would be a worthy addition to your collection of PS2 games.

Half-Life is now out for the Playstation 2