The year is 1998. Everybody I know that owns a PlayStation is "oohing" and "ahhing" over a game called Metal Gear Solid. I can hear them at work, exchanging tips and strategies. They tell stories about characters with weird names like Vulcan Raven and Revolver Ocelot. It's pretty obvious they love the game. For some reason, I don't buy it. I don't even rent it. That is, until this year. As a Christmas present, I receive a copy of the game. Still, I don't get around to playing it until June. What was I smoking for nearly two years?

Metal Gear Solid is one of the most immersive games I've ever played. Cast as Solid Snake, you are thrust into a world of deception, double crosses and stealth. Who can you trust as you infiltrate the base in the cold, barren wastelands of Alaska? What strange human oddities will you encounter? Can you save the world? Can you find the sniper rifle? Can you stop playing this game?

The dialogue that is exchanged between characters is certainly some of the most intelligent ever included in a console game. The plot is complex, yet it remains easy to follow despite numerous twists and turns. The game's control, crucial to the success of an action/adventure game, is spot-on. To help you gain confidence, there are even Virtual Reality (VR) missions you can complete before tackling the game proper.

My only reservation about the game is its length. Clocking in at only about 10-12 hours for your first time through, it is terribly short. Considering that much of that time is spent watching movie sequences that advance the plot or having conversations with people via your communications device, the actual action portions of the game are spread thin over those 10-12 hours. Still, what is there is flat-out incredible.

The game begins in a movie-like style that continues throughout the game.  At times, you'll feel like you're playing an action movie that you're making up as you go along.  It's an incredibly engrossing experience that really makes you wish the game wasn't so short.

If you own a PlayStation, and for some reason haven't played Metal Gear Solid, at least give it the benefit of a rental. I regret waiting nearly two years to enjoy this classic videogame. Don't make the same mistake that I did.