An intriguing blend of action, real-time strategy, and role-playing elements, JoWood's isometric third-person shooter Cold Zero: No Mercy superficially resembles games like X-COM and Jagged Alliance and is an often trigger-happy journey through the trials and tribulations of a hired mercenary. The game is violent, challenging, alternately thoughtful and fast-paced, and at times highly addictive. However, it's hampered by problematic camera controls and some other shortcomings, as well as action that can be overly difficult and repetitive. But if you don't mind the occasional frustration, and you relish the thought of wasting all sorts of baddies from an overhead vantage point while also taking time to perform some RPG-like day-to-day chores of a soldier of fortune, Cold Zero may be just the thing for you.

Despite its emphasis on strategy, Cold Zero delivers a very high body count.

In Cold Zero, you direct the actions of one man, John McAffrey, an ex-cop expelled from the force for mistakenly shooting an innocent civilian and now in charge of his own private detective agency. McAffrey's new business is suffering mightily from his past indiscretion, and he soon finds himself flat-out broke and forced into working for a purported Mafia kingpin. He does not fight the law--in fact, McAffrey begins the game as an essentially decent sort who agrees to his current gig only under the threat of violence and because he believes he's battling other hoods. The game kicks off in McAffrey's new digs, a sorry tenement in an odd little neighborhood surrounded by gun shops, target ranges, bars, and pawnbrokers.

You'll navigate each level primarily using the mouse, pointing and clicking to determine the direction and distance you want to move. Hold the Ctrl key down while clicking behind or on either side of McAffrey and you'll shuffle backward or perform strafing-type lateral maneuvers. However, you can't freely climb or descend. If you want to move vertically, the obstacle in question must be determined by the game to be scalable. If it is, the icon will deviate from its original form to show you that climbing or descending is possible.

One of the real keys to the game is stealth. In Cold Zero, your enemies react intelligently to your maneuvers, jumping into battle mode when you venture into eyeshot or even when you make an inadvertent noise. To help combat their awareness, you can propel yourself in one of four different modes. If speed is of the essence, you can run. You can also walk, walk cautiously, and sneak--all of which are selectable via icons in the omnipresent control panel at the base of the screen. If you select the latter, you'll hunker down near the ground and shuffle very quietly and oh-so-slowly from place to place. Approach someone from behind while in this position, and there's a good chance you'll get within inches and quite possibly reel off enough shots to kill him before he's even had a chance to move.

What you won't want to do when nearing an enemy is swap or reload your weapon--both actions produce enough noise to alert everyone in the vicinity of your presence. A common practice is to reload or rearm well away from the action, sneak up for a few good shots, then run away quickly to hide as other thugs hear and swarm toward the gunfire. Another viable option is to leave your pistols and rifles and submachine guns holstered and instead make use of your silent weapons--namely, your own hard-knuckled fist, assorted knives and razors, and perhaps even a baseball bat. Of the hundred-or-so real-world armaments you can either purchase at the gun shop, snatch from semisecret stashes, or remove from the prone bodies of your victims, several are virtually noiseless.

Shoot someone who begs to be spared, and you may get blown to fragments by a stash of grenades.

Unlike most first-person action games, Cold Zero limits the number of weapons and other inventory items you can carry. You can still carry an unrealistically large number, to be sure, and you can also pack useful objects, such as silencers and telescopic sights and defensive paraphernalia like instantly healing medicine kits, bullet-proof vests, various keys, and much more. You may even find a fine gold watch or pornographic magazine to sell later at the local pawnshop. In any case, the more you haul around, the slower you'll move and the less sneaking or running you can do. And if you horde a ton of stuff, especially when your health is low, you won't be able to move at all.

Fortunately for those who like to travel light, the game allows you to learn as you play. By accomplishing certain tasks or successfully negotiating certain areas, you're awarded a number of skill points, which you can then distribute among several key categories. If, for example, you're quickly bored by searching for elusive door keys, you can apply your skill points toward a better understanding of technology. Soon, you'll be opening locked doors through sheer knowledge and skill. Or you can allocate those points toward your overall strength and thus become so powerful that you can win fistfights with just a couple of blows.