Vietnam has always been a touchy subject in the United States and could account for why it's taken so long for it to enter the videogame market. It's not intrinsically easy to transfer that event to this medium, especially when the point it to be "entertained." However, the success of World War II shooters in recent years has proven that war sells, and their success has gone deeper because of games like Call of Duty and Medal of Honor.

Now it's time for the most controversial period in our countries history to be put under the gaming microscope - except Guerilla (the Amsterdam-based company who made Killzone for the PS2) is bringing a Hubble Telescope to the party. This game is not meant for anyone under the age of 18, and will undoubtedly put the ESRB system to the test. Shellshock is a graphic, uncensored portrayal of the Vietnam War, extremely brutal in its portrayal of reality.

According to Martin De Ronde, Guerilla's commercial director, "The horror of war is the central theme we are trying to get across in the game." You'll witness the torture of prisoners, the execution of suspected informants, the napalming of civilian villages, the gruesome effects of Viet Cong booby traps, and more. De Ronde made it clear that your character will not be responsible for any of these acts or take part in them, just bare witness to them.

To further that theme, the enemy doesn't just flop to the ground when they're shot. Well-placed rounds can blow apart skulls or sever limbs, and it's all shown in living, graphic, color. In-game conversations are filled with obscenities and you'll even be able to seek female "companionship" during brief R&R stints.

The game starts in January 1967, and you play as a raw recruit in the Army infantry on his first tour of duty. You get to choose your character's race and appearance - Caucasian, Hispanic, or African-American - and will see them progress (both in appearance, actions and personality) from a rookie into a hardened veteran throughout the course of the game.

Shellshock's missions are varied and all inspired by real-life military operations. You'll engage in large-scale battlefield encounters, walk point on jungle patrols, infiltrate an enemy POW camp, assassinate a high-ranking Viet Cong General, and go deep inside the infamous tunnel systems of the VC. Helping to create the diversity of the missions are the wide-ranging environments, including dense jungles, rural villages and waterlogged rice paddy fields. The contrasting environments are littered with booby traps and secret VC hiding places. If you can survive and make it back to Base Camp, you'll have to face its temptations.

Once in Base Camp, aside from retrieving your missions from here, you'll be able to walk around and interact with virtually everyone in camp. This portion of Shellshock might actually become a game within a game, because you can buy non-standard equipment, outfit your character, and even get that female companionship we mentioned earlier. If you pay attention to the chatter, you can hear the latest events of the war from other soldiers, and maybe catch a juicy rumor.

For instance, your next mission might have you raiding a nearby VC bunker, but what you probably didn't know was that it's full of drugs. It's possible to find these drugs and bring them back to Base Camp to use as barter for other items!

Eidos recently announced a list of original music that will be in the game: Percy Sledge, Sonny and Cher, Roy Orbison, The Monkees, The Small Faces, John Lee Hooker, The Troggs, and others will contribute songs to the soundtrack. Helen Lawson, Eidos' brand manager, says, "One of the overriding aims of ShellShock: Nam '67 is to deliver as realistic interpretation of the Vietnam War as possible. Having music in the game that was actually on the airwaves in 1967 will further enhance the game's authenticity."

Gameplay will be familiar if you've ever played a third-person shooter. By default, the camera view is situated just behind your soldier, but you can go into a "zoomed-in" view that places the view just above your right shoulder. Essentially, this allows you to see faraway targets a bit better, which you'll need in order to pick off targets using cover.

Tossing grenades is as simple as following the on-screen arc, which shows the exact trajectory and spot where your grenade will land. You'll be able to crouch behind cover or go prone, which not only increases your protection, but also your accuracy. Keep in mind that lying down greatly reduces your mobility. And because you'll need it, you can sprint in order to cover short distances quickly.

Like most military games, you won't be able to carry an endless supply of weapons. Not only is this realistic, but adds a great deal of strategy to the gameplay. In Shellshock you can carry one heavy weapon, a sidearm, and a few grenades. Each weapon is historically accurate and realistically modeled, such as the M-16 and the M-14 (which also acts as a sniper rifle when scope-equipped). Fortunately you'll be able to pick up enemy weapons as well, like the AK-47.

Melee fights will allow you to use a machete or your rifle butt to smack the enemy in the head. During stealth missions, you may even slit some throats. Additionally, you can call in artillery and napalm air strikes, and at times rely on helicopter support to provide cover fire.

During the research portion of development, the guys at Guerilla noticed that many of the photos and movie reels from the era had a grainy tone to them. In order to help create a more immersive environment, they've installed a special graphics filter that will help bring a historical feel to Shellshock. Screenshots have shown that it really does add uniqueness to the overall feel of the game, and whether that will prove to be annoying after several hours of play remains to be seen.

Each of the 12 single-player missions range from 45 to 90 minutes to complete. The game will not be shipping with any multiplayer mode because Guerilla wanted to emphasize the single-player experience and to convey "one man's journey through the war." However, the game will offer replay value in the form of other objectives that you may have missed the first time through. In this day and age of multiplayer madness, leaving this feature out might haunt Guerrilla worse than a bad trip on LSD.

Shellshock looks shocking... maybe too mush so for many. Combined with the controversy that is Vietnam, the ingredients may be enough to cause Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and doom this game. Fortunately, the gameplay and graphics look solid. If everything comes together in perfect harmony (and old 60's tune), this could very well be a game that not only makes it home alive, but also brings the whole conflict into a historical perspective that's long overdue.