The latest in Electronic Arts' popular World War II shooter series lets you assume the role of a U.S. paratrooper in the most open-ended game in the franchise. Land wherever you like -- be it on the ground within the safety zone, marked by green smoke, or on a rooftop inside of an Axis stronghold -- and then combat the enemy troops by following one of a few paths to victory.

The non-linearity differentiates Airborne from past Medal of Honor games and other WWII shooters. It also carries over to your many objectives, such as knocking out a Tiger tank or locating POWs.

Once you're on the ground, however, the core game play will be familiar to previous Medal of Honor players. You're still skulking around with a first-person perspective, swapping guns and tossing grenades, and analyzing the environment with help from an onscreen map that indicates where the allied (green) and enemy (red) troops are. You need to use cover and height to your advantage, such as crouching behind a wall or sandbags, or firing off balconies and rooftops.

In terms of customization, you can choose weapons to suit your objectives and unlock upgrades by performing impressive moves, such as taking down four or five enemies at a time. This adds an interesting role-playing-game element to the action. Keep in mind, however, that some weapons have serious recoil, which can make them harder to aim and fire repeatedly.

Along with the eight- to 10-hour single-player campaign, Medal of Honor Airborne offers a handful of multiplayer modes for up to 12 players over the Internet, such as Objective Airborne (choose your team, then fight the enemy to capture and hold three flags on the map). In the end, it's an engrossing military action experience -- especially the second half of the story and team-based online modes -- that proves to be one of the best in the franchise to date.