Pesky aliens; they come to our planet giving it the big 'we are', throwing their considerable weight around.

As game players, this is a scenario we're more than used to handling. In fact if it ever happens for real, we're probably the best disposed to handle the situation. As long as we get to play with the big guns of course.

In The Bureau, aliens decided to land their skinny asses on our terra firma (which should read the US of A, naturally – where else would they decide to land?) in 1962. So think Mad Men with agents and aliens. Come to think of it, Don Draper would be rubbish fighting aliens, he'd just run away and hide like a pansy. He could probably come up with a catchy strapline about getting rid of them though, we'll give him that.

You play as CIA special agent William Carter, who, under the remit of the United States Bureau of Strategic Emergency Command, is tasked with hunting down these annoying alien life forms and destroying them, before they destroy us. Oh and he has to do this whilst the Bureau do their best to keep the news of this impending invasion from the population at large, to prevent mass hysteria.

You get to pick two members to join your team, who can be switched around at various points, depending on the type of mission ahead of you. Look after them though, because if they die, they can't come back. Although the truth is, they can, and if you're smart, they will, as long as you load your last save point.

You know what? When someone doesn't pay their parking fine, I don't get mad. I get even...

The game has had a well-documented, torrid time in development, with a gaming identity crisis to deal with. In 2010 it was announced as a first-person shooter, but with changes and delays along the way it has finally emerged as this third-person strategy shooter. Considering the X-COM strategy games, this isn't a bad way to go.

In combat, along a fairly rigid path, you have to assign various actions to your team member, by entering Battle Focus Mode. This slows play right down, allowing you a little thinking time as to what exactly you want to do. For the most part, it works. It's when you're out of this mode, during regular play, where the game stumbles.

Unfortunately, you can't simply let your team go about their business, as they need constant babysitting. When they get hit, which they often will, you can send one to revive the other, or you can do it yourself. However, by doing it yourself, you open yourself up to serious fire power as you stand over them spraying them with some super chemical thing. Why you can't kneel down like a coward next to them, out of the line of fire, is a mystery.

You should also be careful choosing your weaponry. If you hold onto fine US military weapons, you could easily find yourself in very short supply of bullets. Pick up an alien weapon however, and you can pick up all their ammo once you've shot them down.

There's a clunkiness to the whole fighting mechanic that just doesn't sit right. It certainly doesn't help that you can't stay in one position for more than five seconds before you get bombarded by alien grenades. 2K know how to deal with the strategy side, but are on far less confident ground where the third person shooter aspects are concerned.

Still, they've done a swell job with the setting. For all its little undoings, the game has a terrific atmosphere, with its charming early sixties setting. Its story is quite compelling too, with Carter uncovering more about the aggressive race and their intentions with us earthlings.

If you can put up with the games many rough edges, there's an enjoyable experience to be had here. So much so that a sequel, in this style, with its issues fixed, would be one well worth looking out for to satiate our appetite for kicking alien butt.