AS A discerning consumer, I usually take product claims with a pinch of salt.
Give Half-Life 2 a try, if you haven't already.
For instance, I won't rush to the theatres just because the distributors say their movies are the 'best ever' or 'most scary'.
Similarly, I won't buy a book just because the cover has a line which says it is 'gripping'.
So, I was sceptical when I saw a tagline on a new Xbox 360 game, The Orange Box, which described it as the 'best deal in video game history'.
Initially, I wondered why the game company, Valve, used such a name when it is actually the continuation of the best-selling sci-fi game Half Life.
But after I loaded up the disc, I realised why.
The Orange Box is not just a game. It's actually a collection of five very LONG games.
It comes with not only the original Half-Life 2, which was first released in the old Xbox format, but also its sequel Episode One and now, the new Episode 2.
That's not all - it also introduces a brand-new mind-bending sci-fi game called Portal and a shoot-till-you-drop multi-player game, Team Fortress 2.
Indeed, I am impressed that they have packed five games into that one disc.
When I played Half-Life 2 last year, I recalled it took me a couple of weeks because the game has a vast virtual world and an intriguing story-line.
With four more such games, I reckon any gamer who starts Orange Box from the beginning will probably spend a couple of months on it.
I take my hat off to Orange Box's distributor, EA Games, for living up to its 'best deal' claim, by giving such good value to gamers.
This is certainly a big bonus for Half-Life fans.
If you haven't played the game before, this is an incentive to get Orange Box since it comes with the complete Half-Life 2 trilogy.
The riveting game is built around scientist Gordon Freeman, who is caught in a fight to save the world after a government experiment goes horribly wrong and allows aliens to teleport to Earth.
Freeman must survive attacks from not only enemy soldiers, but also zombies, giant bugs, alien robots and nasty-looking monsters.
As for Portal, it's certainly a mind-boggling game that could involve the whole family.
Playing the game actually reminds one of visits to the Singapore Science Centre because it tests not only your creativity and imagination but your ability to see beyond the obvious.
In a nutshell, you have to get through a series of obstacles using a sci-fi teleportal gun that allows you to create an entry and exit point in the wall or floor.
It sounds simple, but the execution is not.
Imagine creating the doorway at the bottom of a high building and jumping through it as a way to catapult you to the next building by using the falling momentum.
It's a mind-blowing experience and is certainly not for the faint-hearted.
After playing for about a week, I have only managed to get through about a fifth of the listed games.
So you can bet that gamers will not be easily bored with The Orange Box.
It will take them some time to reach the end.
Rating: 5/5
FYI
The Orange Box (Xbox 360 $71.90)