Parent's Guide: Call of Duty: Ghosts - Age rating, mature content and difficulty

What is Call of Duty: Ghosts?

Call of Duty: Ghosts is a military themed first person shooter that puts you in the role of one of an elite squad known as the Ghosts. With a suitably fantastical plot that revolves around a united South America attacking the US, what starts out as a war between two global super powers soon gets incredibly personal, with a twisting and emotional plot that'll have you playing until the end.

How do you play Call of Duty: Ghosts?

A fairly standard first person shooter, Call of Duty: Ghosts follows the same pattern as the previous Call of Duty games. In the single player, you'll engage with computer controlled enemies across a range of dusty cityscapes as you dive behind cover, pop out to take a few pot shots at your enemies, and rinse and repeat. To help add a bit of variety, there's also the odd special mission thrown in for good measure, whether you're flying a helicopter, or taking control of your loyal German Shepard, Riley, as he spies on the enemy. In the game's flagship multiplayer mode, meanwhile, you'll find yourself pitted against players from around the world across a variety of modes, which mostly revolve around killing players on the other team. The game's multiplayer modes can be played in both split-screen and online.

How easy is Call of Duty: Ghosts to pick up and play?

As a first person shooter, you'll need to be proficient at dual analogue controls to play Call of Duty: Ghosts - and with gameplay that moves at an unrelenting pace, you'll need sharp reactions too, especially when playing online. Much like being in the real military, Call of Duty requires excellent situational awareness and a keen eye to stay alive, as you'll need to keep an eye out for snipers, grenades, and traps - and all it takes is a single mistake to cost you your life, and send you back to the last checkpoint.

While there are a variety of difficulty levels to let you adjust the single player to suit, if you choose to head online, Call of Duty: Ghosts becomes a lot harder. As the game doesn't group players according to skill, you'll find yourself coming up against experienced players from the off - folk who know their way around maps better than you, have better weapons than you, and have been playing for a lot longer. As such, it can be tricky to hold your own at first when you head out online - you'll have a much better time heading out as part of a group, with some friends to watch your back.

As a serious, all action first person shooter, Call of Duty: Ghosts has several things parents will want to be aware of. In terms of violence, while enemies give off large puffs of red blood when shot, it isn't as over the top as some other games - there's no decapitation or dismemberment, for example.

However, some cutscenes do show more graphic violence. One sees your soldier put a gun to an enemy's chin, before getting you to pull the trigger, while another shows your team mate slitting an enemy's throat. Again, it's not realistic looking gore, but there is a lot of blood. Meanwhile, melee attacks in the game see you driving a dagger into an enemy's chest while they scream in pain. In terms of swearing, however, the game is a lot lighter, with the odd mention of "b**ch", and the very occasional use of the word "b***ard" and "f**k" being the only notable bad language.

Age Ratings

Format Reviewed: Playstation 4