I've got every single SWAT game from SWAT (5 disc collection) to this SWAT 4. I received the GOLD edition as two pieces, the original game + the Ste. Syndicate. I preferred them separate so that's a plus. Anywho, I beat the game in under 7 or 8 hours but it was 10-fold more challenging than the previous SWAT 3 releases. I loved it and wish Sierra would take note and make a new-age version of SWAT for PS3/Xbox360. That would top them all. But back to this game, it was wonderful. Get yours now!

I am running
64bit Vista
2.4 processor, Nvidia geforce 8600m gs, and 4g ram

I play Swat 4 all the time, with the graphics all the way up, and have no problem.

This game is really good. A lot of people have said Swat 3 is better, but I disagree. This game has better graphics, and gameplay. Remember though, your a POLICE officer, not part of a ANTI-TERRORIST group. You try to keep suspects alive if possible, not kill everything that moves.

Great game, just make sure you have the right system requirements to make it run smooth. Realistic gameplay and Swat tactics make this game one of the best.

THIS GAME IS COMPLETELY INCOMPATIBLE WITH THE MICROSOFT VISTA OPERATING SYSTEM. Some games work, or you can use Vista's "Compatibility Mode." Don't bother buying this unless you have Windows XP exclusively. I had to return this to Amazon after spending 30 minutes on line with Vivendi customer service trying to resolve the issue. Save yourself the grief!

I would like to start by saying that I have played many different shoot 'em ups and rather enjoy the whole 'run-in-guns-a'blazing' style games.

Overview:
Great game, that's worth it for both you stealthy-tactical-planners and you trigger-happy fanatics.Amazing sound and graphics (can even use mirrors to help see around sharp corners, knock things over if you get too close, and shoot through doors and wooden floors at enemies) and easy-to-use customizable controls. Multiplayer is just as sensational as the single-player version, and it is recommended to any gamer who has about $25 (give or take) to spare to buy the new version of this game.

If for any reason to buy this game, the multiplayer and maps alone makes it worth it. Although, I must warn you, it can get rather slow sometimes, and if you get cocky towards the end of the map, you'll wind up dead and have to do it all over again.

~~BREAKDOWN~~
Single-Player Game:
Although SWAT 4 becomes painfully slow at times, such as while you're creeping through rooms looking for the suspects, it still has it's heart-racing moments. Much unlike other FPS (First Person Shooter) games, SWAT 4 brings in a certain feel of realism I have yet to see or experience to this degree. It's multitude of weapons, both lethal and non-lethal, along with the variety of distraction grenades makes for a life-like SWAT encounter. As you go through the levels checking under doors with `the wand' and picking locks for quiet sneak-entries, you get this rush in the silence of the game.

But don't get me wrong, this game isn't just sneaking around and being a ghost. As you barge through doors with `flashbang' and `stinger' grenades going off, stunning the suspects, you and your 4-man element start screaming a barrage of realistic phrases such as "GET DOWN!" or "ON YOUR KNEES, NOW!". They are random, and some members of the element have unique saying just for them, giving it a more realistic feel than just "get down" every time you open a door. When suspects fail to respond to these ultimatums and decide to raise a gun to either you or a hostage, you have the right to shoot him. Non-lethal weapons make this process easier. A bean-bag shot form a 12-gauge will make any suspect, no matter how willed, give in. And even if it doesn't, you can order a taser shot, which is sure to subdue him.

The AI is brilliant. You can set it up to make half your element enter one door and the other half enter another, while you could be at a third, and entirely separate door. They'll automatically suppress any suspect, and keep them there until you give the command to `cuff that clown.' I've been saved several times by my men. But it's not just them that are smart. The suspects will have different moral strengths, so they need different amounts of non-lethal force to get them to agree with you. Not only that, but sometimes they wont even give you a chance, which is when fast thinking comes in very handy.


Multiplayer Game:
And if sneaking around and tactical entries isn't for you, then you can always join the free online multiplayer servers on which a variety of skilled, and not-so-skilled, players enjoy a more shoot-`em-up approach to the game. There are many different versions of the online games, such as a VIP escort, an object transportation mission, a `most-points-at-end-of-time-period' type game based on kills and arrests, and, of course, the Co-Op missions that you can play with friends on the other side of the house, or other side of the world.

The graphics and audio in multiplayer are just as phenomenal as the game, and only tend to lag with a bad internet connection or several grenades and guns going off.