The very first thing you’ll notice with Halo PC is how much crisper the graphics are on a monitor than a TV. After you get past the graphical improvements, you’ll notice that unlike most console-to-PC ports, Halo lets you use the mouse instead of the up/down keys to navigate menus. The mouse navigation is very smooth, well implemented, and will certainly be appreciated by most gamers.

While you’d expect major changes in the gameplay after having the original Xbox title on the market for two years, after a quick play through the first few missions, you’ll realize that other than the beefed-up graphics, it’s exactly the same as it was on the Xbox. This isn’t a bad thing, but even the missions and cut-scenes are identical to the Xbox version. Hopefully the full PC version will offer some additional elements and levels.

Being that this is an early beta version of the game there are a few bugs and glitches to deal with. On more than one occasion, I would get stuck on an invisible wall, was able to see through a closed door or get hung up on a dead marine’s body that was blocking my path. I can only hope the developers will have these fixed by shipping day.

Now let’s get to the question that everyone wants to know the answer to, "how’s the multiplayer?" Being as this is a beta, the online multiplayer isn’t available, though LAN play for up to 16 players is supported. While I didn’t get to test out the LAN capabilities with other players, I did start a match and play around with the vehicles and weapons. The new multiplayer maps, weapons and vehicles that will be available in the PC version of Halo will make every Halo fanboy giggle with excitement (It did me).

In addition to all the vehicles from the Xbox version, there are a couple of new additions for use in multiplayer games. There is a modified Warthog sporting a rear-mounted rocket launcher and infinite ammo. It packs a powerful punch but it has a slow reload time just to balance game play a little. Along with the modded-Warthog, there’s also the Banshee (a flying alien fighting machine), which was only available in the single player game on the Xbox, will be fully functional and usable in multiplayer matches in Halo PC. This opens up a whole new aspect to the game because you will now have to watch out for death from above.

Along with the new vehicles, there are a couple of new weapons that will be available in the full final release but weren’t in the preview beta. Expect to see the Flame Thrower, which was rumored to be a hidden weapon in Halo for Xbox but never found, and the Fuel Rod gun, which launches "grenade like" projectiles. With these new additions, you can expect the online battles to be fierce, fiery and explosive.

The beta includes a couple of the popular maps from the Xbox version; Blood Gulch and Battle Creek This time around, however, they are looking better thanks to the high resolution a PC offers. Overall, everything looks cleaner and sharper and the maps are perfect clones of the Xbox originals. There are three new maps included in the beta, Timberland (a fairly large map with rolling hills and lots of trees to hide behind), Gephyrophobia (a huge bridge set over a bottomless gorge) and Danger Canyon (a lot like Battle Creek but is set around a mountain with tunnels and overhead walkways.) I spent some time with the maps and can tell you that there are plenty of places to hide out and snipe your opponents.

While the single-player campaign won’t offer much to those who’ve played the Xbox version of the game, the online multiplayer, when it’s ready, will be a dream come true for fans of the game.