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S.T.A.L.K.E.R. Shadow of Chernobyl is already the stuff of legend, in part due to its unusually lengthy development time. But, like the old adage goes, all good things (and severe radiation poisoning) come to those who wait.

The long-awaited title's half-life is, however, long enough to ensure that S.T.A.L.K.E.R. is still a dangerously hot game. And speaking of half-life, Games TM - whilst awarding a spectacular 9/10 review, noted "There might not be a single other game that brings to mind Half-Life, Operation Flashpoint, Resident Evil 4 and Riddick, but STALKER manages it without ever losing its individual sense of style and personality." It's "six years in the making and worth every minute."

Elsewhere, other game critics are also giving out the love. The PC Format reviewer, with 93% and a Gold Award, mentioned "All things considered, I haven't been this affected by a computer game for a long time." It's "Frantic, unpleasant, beautiful, scary and full of mutant-capping hot lead action. Take a trip to man made hell, why don't cha?"

That's a rhetorical question... we're not going to give reasons why you shouldn't take that trip. Apart from the fact we don't like putting you off our own games, none of the reviewers gave us any good reasons either.

Eurogamer doled out an 8/10, with some typically splendid anecdotal evidence of goodness... "All day long I've been opening MSN windows to annoyed friends and trying to explain the really awesome thing that just happened in Stalker. More importantly, perhaps, I've been trying to explain to them just what Stalker is. It's like X meets Y meets Z meets oh I wish you were playing it too."... "Stalker will remind you of all kinds of prior games, and yet it will also defy your expectations. Like the mythological Chernobyl zone it is based upon, this game is a treacherous, darkly beautiful terrain."

Boomtown, with 9/10, made the simple statement that "S.T.A.L.K.E.R. is still one of the best First Person Shooters I've played in a long time" before moving onto more emotive aspects, "The atmosphere, the open areas and the feeling of hopelessness goes directly to the heart of every gamer."

PC Gamer, with 87%, reflected that sentiment, "Few games are as atmospheric as Stalker, and none have its specific atmosphere" before motioning towards the huge size of the game, "It is Stalker. A singularity in the landscape of PC games, it deserves careful exploration."

SPOnG.com, also with 87%, also congratulated the game's longevity, "This is a game that commands weeks of playtime to thoroughly uncover its vast environment and haunting tale."

Further to these, there's been a 9/10 and 8/10 from two of Bit-tech.net's reviewers. We have an 8/10 from Computerandvideogames.com, a 4.25/5 from GamePro... and an 85% from Gamespot, who concluded "S.T.A.L.K.E.R. is definitely a game that deserves to be played. For first-person shooter fans looking for the next big thing in the genre, it's difficult not to be impressed by the game's unique and evolving world. Meanwhile, fans of role-playing games will appreciate the open-ended nature of the gameplay and being able to explore different paths through the zone."

There'll be more reviews on the way, and we'll be back with the scores when they arrive. And, under these circumstances, we'll forgive the respective critics if they're a bit late with those final verdicts...

So check back soon for the full review round-up (and details of an exciting new S.T.A.L.K.E.R. competition!), or alternatively, go straight over here and order it right now! If you've already done that, keep yourself occupied until Friday by admiring all the videos and screens on the game page, here.