The Half-Life games are the thinking-person's FPSs and the series is this reviewer's favourite game franchise. The original game does look a bit dated by the standards of 2011 but bearing in mind that it was first released in 1998 it still looks pretty good, and in it's day it was truly ground-breaking. It also used a physics engine that was the best of its time and an AI that performed far better than any other. Almost everything you could want is here: a good variety of environments, some satisfying puzzles, and some challenging combat. It also has, within the obvious limits of a shooter, a solid and engaging story. All of this makes for a game that keeps you entertained from start to finish and never outstays its welcome. Great stuff -- and it gets much much better with Half-Life 2!