Stalker - Shadow of Chernobyl

I really really wanted to like this game and i gave it so many goes (on pc) but it's too feckin' difficult.

People are raving about AI getting better and adapting to your movements so they can flank you with intelligent ducking and hiding and all that gubbins. Stalker has this, and all it does it make it too bloody hard. What's wrong with baddies walking back and forth along a set route like they did in Splinter Cell, at least you had some advantage then. In Stalker you shoot one guy and the rest run right around the outside then waste you from behind, sneaky bastards!

Jesus, this game is difficult, how many games have you played where you died at the first fucking mission? Probably not many. Of course, this doesn't make you feel very good about playing the rest of the game if you're going to get wasted 15 minutes into the game, then realise there's no checkpoint style auto-saving and you have to start the game again, which i did, then i finally did the mission, only to get killed BY THE LAST FUCKING GUY when i was on my way back to collect my reward, luckily i quick-saved it periodically throughout the mission (which is one way the pc pisses all over consoles, save-points my arse!).

Then after that just got lost and bored and ended up switching it off and having a wank instead, it was more entertaining (isn't it always though?)

And the game needs such a high spec machine to run smoothly but i'll save that rant for another day.

To summarise, Stalker SEEMS like a good game but i'll be buggered if i could actually get into it.