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The Call of Duty series has been praised as the greatest World War II shooter franchise to date, and for good reason. In the original Call of Duty, fans were finally joined aside (relatively) smart A.I., while Call of Duty followed it up by upping the ante in every way possible. A year after Call of Duty 2 was released, we’re treated to the third of the series, and while a new developer may have taken the reins this time, the series has not suffered for it.

As is standard fare with the CoD series, the game takes place over several campaigns where you control a soldier for a different country each campaign. In this installment, you fight as the American, British, Canadian and Polish armies. It should be noted that this is the first time Canada and Poland have ever been playable forces in a WWII game.

Gameplay wise, the game remains largely untouched from last year’s installment. There’s still a Halo 2 style rechargeable health system, a fairly forgiving auto aim for your zoom scopes, and the game still carries the two gun carry capacity rule. However, there are in fact some new wrinkles in the fold this time around. The most useful (and arguably coolest) feature is the ability to throw live grenades back at your enemy.

A.I. wise, there’s little to no difference between CoD2 and 3. Thanks to the quality of the A.I. last year, this isn’t necessarily a bad thing. Enemies will take cover, create attack patterns and toss your grenades back at your face if you aren’t careful. On the ally side, A.I. is pretty smart, but could use a bit of improvement still. Every once in a while, you’ll end up with an ally blocking a doorway, or even deflecting one of your grenades with their head. It doesn’t happen often, but when it does, it’s a pain.

One of the most highly touted features of CoD2 was the online multiplayer which, while fun, had its share of flaws. CoD3 improves on these flaws and expands on what was offered by the series’ second offering and brings a more complete feature set.

24 is the magic number for online multiplayer this time around, with standard modes like deathmatch (free for all and team), capture the flag, headquarters and War. Vehicles play a large part in the proceedings this time around, with everything from bikes, trucks and tanks at your disposal. This time around, gamers choose from several different character classes which add a touch of strategy and necessity to the gameplay this time. You’re given the option to change your class after every death, which means you aren’t ever stuck playing a class you don’t like. Frame rate was never a big problem, even in the most densely populated war zones.

In terms of visuals, the game looks even better than CoD2. Trees and bushes look much better than last year, and grass is created through individual blades. The environments are gorgeous as ever, with rubble and destruction at every corner. The areas are somewhat destructible, with crates and barrels splintering and exploding. The forests feel natural and dense, and character models look convincing. This is by far the best looking game in the series.

Likewise can be said for the games audio, which is full of a sweeping, epic soundtrack and accent-laden voice acting. Sure, the mid-battle banter can get on your nerves, but at least it’s for its repetitiveness and not the voice acting itself. The soundtrack lends the game a very cinematic feel as well.

Call of Duty 2 was arguably the best game to launch with the 360, and it’s follow-up is worthy of following in its footsteps. There’s not a ton of improvements this time around, but what there is, is enough. Be it the cinematic single player or the fully realized Xbox Live multiplayer, Call of Duty 3 is the best game in the series.