When Fallout 3 launched last fall, it offered gamers a deep and complex action-RPG game with plenty of unique gameplay elements and a fully-realized post-apocalyptic wasteland. What further excited gamers was the revelation that Bethesda, publisher/developer of the game, would be launching more content via Xbox LIVE. Now, the fruits of this announcement have seen the light of day with the first content expansion, titled Operation: Anchorage.

Operation: Anchorage follows your character through a simulation that takes place early on in the war that resulted in the nuclear destruction of the world. A VR training mission, you must stop the Chinese Army from invading Alaska by recapturing Anchorage. Along the way, you’ll uncover a variety of story elements that help explain the events preceding the destruction of civilization as we know it.

From the start, it is clear that the main focus of Operation Anchorage is action. There really isn’t any exploring to do, just enemies to kill. The enemies are pretty cool, too, ranging from standard soldiers to Chinese Dragoons capable of going invisible. There are also tons of snipers and flamethrower units gunning for you, keeping you on your toes.

Upon completing the simulation, you’ll unlock the vault in the real-world, giving you access to several cool exclusive weapons and armor. Among the new gear you can get are a sword, a stealth-boosting ninja outfit, a new scoped laser railgun, and a set of winterized combat armor. All of these items have great stats, and look pretty cool should you just want to run around in them.

The problem with Operation Anchorage is that the whole affair is very short and quite linear. Due to the constant ammo and health refreshers placed generously throughout the map, there’s really no reason that any Fallout 3 player shouldn’t be able to blow through the pack’s four missions in a few hours. While there is a subquest that has you searching for ten pieces in intel in order gain the Covert Ops perk (which will grant you a permanent boost in Lockpick, Science, and Small Arms), there’s still not a lot here beyond the combat. Additionally, once you’re done with the simulation, that’s it, and you can’t come back to it unless you load up a previous save. All that you’ll have is your new equipment to remind you of your Anchorage exploits.

Graphically, even though Operation Anchorage doesn’t change technically from the original Fallout 3, the look is still quite different. While the environments are still barren and devoid of life, the rocky, snow-covered mountainsides are a nice contrast to the original game’s dirt-and-rock wasteland.

Fallout 3: Operation Anchorage is a nice diversion for gamers who loved the original game and are champing at the bit for more content. However, at 800 Microsoft Points ($10), it doesn’t quite offer up a lot of content for more budget-concerned players.

Gameplay: 7.5
The action never lets up in Operation Anchorage, and the spoils that you get are great for the actual game. However, there are some problems with the DLC, as it feels way too short for a $10 purchase and way too linear.

Graphics: 8.5
While not technically different from the original game, Operation: Anchorage features some nice looking new snow mountain settings.

Sound: 8.0
Same as the original Fallout 3.

Difficulty: Medium

Concept: 8.0
An interesting take on expanded content, Operation: Anchorage gives some nice insight to the Fallout universe.

Overall: 7.9
Operation Anchorage has no shortage of action, but the experience is awfully short-lived.