(continued from previous page) ...time you "level" up, you unlock a new item, be it a new gun, camo, or perk. The leveling system is based on the points that you've earned by getting kills or completing objectives. There are also weapon specific objectives as well. For each weapon, there are three ranks of mastery, and three ranks of expertise. To master a weapon, simply kill using that weapon. To become an expert, you must get headshots with that gun. The three ranks are at 25, 75, and 150 kills. Each time a new level of mastery or expertise is achieved, a new camo or scope become available for that weapon and you get a nice points bonus.

All in all, each gun will get between three and four scopes, and four or five different camo styles.

There will also be challenges that aren't tied to weapons. For example, using the sprint button to cover certain amounts of area will give bonuses as well.

Alongside these weapons upgrades, perks provide even more customization. There are three categories of perks. Each and every perk has a time and a place, and certain perks, when combined together, can add up to some deadly combinations.

The one perk I have to mention is Last Stand. This perk, when active, allows the player to fire his or her pistol for a few seconds after being killed. From a first hand perspective, this is just about the coolest feature hands down. There is nothing quite like shooting down the guy who just killed you, and perhaps even getting a second kill while you're at it. This perk also has taught me to shoot every dead body one last time to ensure I don't get a bullet on my way out.

There are three maps included in the beta, each having its strong points and weaknesses. I will say, however, that Infinity Ward made good decisions on the map selection. Each map was well balanced, and they also were made with weapon selection in mind.

All in all, the Call of Duty 4 multiplayer beta has certainly delivered. It will definitely fuel the hype for this game, as well as allow devs to flush out any bugs in the game (although I didn't find any). Be sure to come back for updated impressions as the level cap gets raised. We'll have detailed info on the PS3 version, and more on the multiplayer, very soon.