One of the coolest things about Metal Gear Solid is that the game rarely gets repetitive or dull. Gameplay often involves getting around inside the base while trying not to get caught. This can involve sneaking, strangling guards from behind or even jumping into a handy cardboard box to avoid detection, and if all else fails you can always open fire with any one of the weapons you'll get hold of. These “normal” gameplay sections are regularly interspersed with special tasks or one of many boss encounters. At one point you have to knock on wall sections to see which are in fact doorways that have been sealed up with concrete. To proceed you have to plant some C4 and blow open the doorway again. The numerous boss encounters are invariably creative, including sniping exchanges with Fox Hound member Sniper Wolf, a gun battle with Revolver Ocelot and even a fight against a tank manned by the massive shaman Vulcan Raven. At one point you'll also face the mind reading Psycho Mantis who can predict your every action (don't worry, there's a way around it) and throw random furniture at you in response. As a PC user used to a mouse and keyboard as my means of controlling most games, the joypad or keyboard only controls took a bit of getting used to. If you press "up," Snake will walk towards the top of the screen rather than walking forward in the direction he is facing as in most games, and aiming sniper rifles with the keys feels particularly peculiar at first. But as I said, it works surprisingly well given the challenges you'll face in the game.

The PC version of the game includes the VR Missions that were released after the original came out. They're essentially glorified and extended training missions set in a sort of wire frame virtual area. You can do target practice with each of the weapons or you can go against the clock to try and secure a record. On the whole it's pretty pointless really, but trying to get the top score for a few of the weapon practice areas can be an entertaining distraction for a short time at least.