The British Army is using a specially adapted PC version of the highly acclaimed shoot-‘em-up Half-Life to train its troops.

With the first-person shoot-em-up, soldiers can experiment with different weapons and tactics with only their virtual lives at stake. Half-Life hasn’t completely replaced regular training manoeuvres, however. The Ministry of Defence is hopeful that the situations encountered on PC will fortify soldiers’ more traditional exercises.

The version available to British soldiers for training purposes bears most resemblance to Counterstrike. Up to eight soldiers can join in combat against a common enemy, working as a co-operative unit, or two teams of four can go up against one another, in a good guys versus the baddies scenario.

So, rest assured, people of the British Isles: if you’re ever subjected to an alien invasion, the boys in khaki will have done their homework, and you’ll have nothing to worry about. Hurrah!