Video game:James Bond 007: Nightfire

Before widespread video games existed to capture the imagination, Ian Fleming published twelve novels and two short story collections featuring the British Secret Service agent James Bond. Between 1953 and 1966, the public waited eagerly for the next installment featuring the charming and elusive spy. Today, James Bond continues to captivate the world through film, books, and video games that present the opportunity for players to step into 007's shoes and try their own hand at going undercover with MI6.

Parker Brothers released the first James Bond video came in 1983 for Atari 2600. Entitled "James Bond 007," this side-scrolling platformer features four missions, each based off a Bond film. Players must control James Bond's car, jump over obstacles and dodge attacks to gain points. While this simple game served as a stepping stone for many future installments featuring secret agent James Bond, the Bond video games did not become popular until Rare released "GoldenEye 007" in 1997.

EA Games released "007: Agent Under Fire" in 2001 for the PlayStation 2, GameCube, and Xbox. This first-person shooter became the fourth Bond game with an original story, which did not come from a movie or book in the James Bond series. Gamers play in either single-player or multi-player mode, and must lead James Bond in stopping Malprave Industries from cloning world leaders. The game sold five million copies and became the second best-selling Bond game in the series. In 2002, EA Games released its sequel, entitled "James Bond 007: Nightfire."

"Nightfire" is a first-person shooter game which gamers can play in either single-player or multiplayer mode. Pierce Brosnan, the fifth actor to portray Bond in the Eon films, provided the likeness for the character in the game. Players control Bond and must defeat Raphael Drake, a man who tries to take over the world by using his own stockpile of nuclear weapons. Designers modeled the weapons in the game on actual guns; however, they all appeared under changed names.

Critics and gamers praised "Nightfire" for its plot, as well as its character animation. Matt Casamassina of IGN called the game "the best 007 offering in years," and wrote, "if you're a 007 fan, NightFire is a must."

The James Bond novels and movies stimulate imaginations everywhere, and 007 continues to amuse audiences through the medium of gaming.