Ginger hair, thick-rimmed glasses, a tidy goatee and a Ph.D. degree in Theoretical Physics - Gordon Freeman was never your average gun-totting FPS hero. However, after only two Half-Life games (and a couple of expanded episodes), Freeman has become a gaming icon, synonymous with the apotheosis of first-person action.

The character is the quintessential geek fantasy: a first class, card-carrying uber nerd who's thrust into the breach and forced to fend off an inter-dimensional invasion as well as squads of well-armed government goons - not something the average MIT graduate expects on his first day at work. He's a far cry from the muscular machismo and implausibly proportioned heroes who traditionally make up the genre; in Freeman Valve managed to create one of the most unlikely heroes in gaming, while simultaneously one of the most believable. Original designs - which, fans have dubbed 'Ivan the Space Biker' - had Gordon sporting a full beard and pony tail, but his eventual look came