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Half Life 2 needs no introduction. If it does then I think you may be on the wrong site! But, just in case...
Half Life 2 continues the story of Gordon Freeman, a scientist who in the original Half Life became an unwitting hero after an alien invasion. It is a first person shooter that has won just about every award going since it's release in 2004. IT combined superb graphics with an intuitive physics system and rolled them all up into an intriguing story.

Now in 2007 we are being treated to a Half Life 2 compilation, The Orange Box. This includes Half Life 2, Episode 1, Episode 2 the new Portal and the long awaited sequel to Team Fortress... Team Fortress 2.

Episode 1 and 2 continue the story set out in Half Life 2. You get the same superb game play, just a new story. Not much to say really.

So it is win win all the way!

Portal on the other hand, is something totally new and nearly impossible to describe! It is a puzzle game, where you must use portals to warp around a level, getting from A to B. To start with you can just create and entrance portal, but soon you are able to create the entrance and the exit. It is so hard to describe the idea, but here goes.

If you are standing in a room and there is a pit of death in front of you, you create an entrance portal in a wall or the floor near you, the create an exit portal the other side of the pit of death. Walk through the entrance and you are warped to the other side of said death pit. Add into this moving platforms, plasma balls and other puzzle like elements (oh and a psychotic computer controlling the fun) and you have a unique, if a little short lived, piece of gaming genius! If it were a bit longer this would justify the price alone!

The final part of the compilation is Team Fortress 2. The sequel to the daddy of class based Half Life mods. Building on the original you are given 9 classes of troop. Scout, Soldier, Pyro, Demoman, Heavy, Engineer, Medic, Sniper and Spy. All have unique abilities and uses on the battle field, meaning that teamwork is the key to this multiplayer delight. The graphics are presented in a great kind of cartoony, cell shaded style. All of the characters look good, from the massive bulk of the Heavy, to the scrawny litheness of the Scout.
This is with out doubt one of the best multiplayer experiences available to date.

As this is a compilation, the score can only represent the overall value and enjoyment that you will get from it. If you own Half Life 2 already then you will still be getting Episode 1, 2, Portal and Team Fortress 2. Also you will be given free subscriptions that may be given to steam friends. So it is win win all the way! Take into account that this costs the same as any other standard release game you really can't go wrong.

The best value pack I have ever seen...now stop reading and go buy it!