Activision has announced that id Software's Return to Castle Wolfenstein: Tides of War for the Xbox is now available at retail outlets nationwide.

id's new hit for Xbox features the definitive multiplayer experience, including squad-based warfare over Xbox Live or System Link, along with an action-packed storyline for single player and two-player split-screen cooperative action. The title has already received critical acclaim including a 9.2 rating and "Editor's Choice" award from Official Xbox Magazine, and "five out of five stars" from Maxim and FHM.

"It just doesn't get any better than the intense single-player, cooperative and multiplayer action in Return to Castle Wolfenstein: Tides of War," said Todd Hollenshead, CEO, id Software. "With an epic single player and co-op campaign, as well as squad-based multiplayer warfare, full support for all of the Xbox Live features like buddy lists, the Xbox Live Communicator, and downloadable maps, RTCW: Tides of War is the ultimate action title for every Xbox owner."

"Return to Castle Wolfenstein: Tides of War has been created from the start with one goal in mind, to be the best first-person action game on Xbox," said Larry Goldberg, executive vice president, Activision Worldwide Studios. "With RTCW: Tides of War's breathtaking campaigns and new prologue missions, whether in single-player or two-player co-op, gamers will have a blast right out of the box. But nothing will prepare them for the instant action and overall rush of Tides of War's multiplayer warfare that will keep players glued to their Xbox."

Set against the backdrop of WWII, Return to Castle Wolfenstein: Tides of War enlists players into a whirlwind of action, espionage and covert operations. Taking the role of badass Army Ranger, B.J. Blazkowicz, players are tasked with infiltrating the heart of Nazi Germany and stopping the darkest plans of the Third Reich. Throughout the game, players are locked in combat against hordes of Nazi storm troopers, undead Teutonic knights and the twisted products of genetic experimentation in campaigns that stretch from the deserts of Egypt and forests of Germany to icy compounds in Norway. Delivering Dolby 5.1 audio, 480p High Definition television support, new monsters, weapons and useable items, Return to Castle Wolfenstein: Tides of War further draws the player into the Occult-filled Nazi nightmare with an unfolding story that plays out like a heart-stopping action movie.

Return to Castle Wolfenstein: Tides of War also includes an all-new Egyptian campaign, where players meet with Agent One, the OSA's most senior operative. In the game's exclusive cooperative mode, gamers partner together as B.J. and Agent One to kick Nazi ass as WWII's toughest duo -- battling through the entire single-player campaign in exciting split-screen action.

With battlefields designed specifically for Xbox, Return to Castle Wolfenstein: Tides of War players can wreak multiplayer havoc in teams of up to eight versus eight for fast and furious 16-player combat. The title features four distinct character classes that must coordinate their individual skills to be victorious in the numerous gameplay modes including objective, elimination and checkpoint. Xbox Live players can utilize their Friends list or Xbox Live matchmaking for instant action. The warfare really heats up with the use of the Xbox Live Communicator, with full voice-masking capabilities, allowing combatants to verbally coordinate attacks, communicate enemy positions, scream for a medic or simply taunt their fallen opponents.

Return to Castle Wolfenstein: Tides of War carries a suggested retail price of $49.99 and is rated "M" for mature by the ESRB.