As much as reviewers will state that this is a CS clone, this game succeeds in bring in a faster paced game play.
User Rating: 9 | Tactical Ops: Assault on Terror PC
The first thing online reviewers will state is that Tactical Ops (TacOps / TO) is merely another clone made in the CS fashion. However the game mechanics and game pace can not be further from the truth. Contrary to the "semi-realistic" strategy that the CS team had taken to create CounterStrike, Tactical Ops is a far more fast paced and in your face affair. Due to the lack of certain "nuances" such as jump stamina and 1 head shot deaths (often associated with CS). Tac Ops takes a more action oriented approach, one which is celebrated by the original Unreal Tournament audience. Though I'd say I preferred the highly acclaimed TO 2.2 Mod version over the retail TacOps AOT version, the highly modifiable nature of the Unreal Engine allowed fans add various weapons from previous Tactical Ops, as well as incorporate new weapons and equipment to the game. This added an interesting mix to the game. In addition the strong community behind TacOps has provided wonderful fan made mutators (mini mods) and a wide assortment of maps, from CS classics to new and unique creations.
Due to the fact that Tactical Ops is purely "online" in nature, the strong number of servers and players (even after nearly 6 years) is a testament to the addictiveness and immersive nature of Tactical Ops. The biggest drawbacks to this game could however to traced to its dated UT graphics engine. While the engine still does the game justice, it could not be compared with the newer Doom 3, Unreal 2/3 engines. But it does do a passable job and scales extremely well for a big variety of map situations.
All in all TacOps has outlasted nearly a decade (since late 1998) and will get you hooked once you give it a try. 
