It’s tough being a Halo fan. Remember the wait before Halo 2 arrived on the original Xbox? The anticipation, the nervousness, the sheer impatience of twiddling thumbs before your next dose of supreme console FPS action?

And now we’re waiting for Halo 3, undoubtedly the biggest game hitting Xbox 360 this year (decade? Millennium?). But praise be to Master Chief! Because this time the wait will not be quite as painful. Yes, in the months before Halo 3 hits there’ll be plenty to keep your MJOLNIR suit oiled up and ready for action.

First of all, even though Halo 3 is on the horizon Halo 2 is still going strong, consistently topping the most-played games list on Xbox Live two-and-a-half years after it launched. The reason for this is that Halo 2 is totally backwards compatible, meaning that even if you’ve never played the game you can pick it up and play it straight away on your Xbox 360. And we’ve got a very good reason why – Bungie just released two brand new maps for Halo 2. Even better, both maps are remakes of the Hang ‘Em High and Derelict multiplayer levels from the original Halo: Combat Evolved game, so long-time fans of the series will get a kick out of revisiting old stomping grounds re-imagined for 2007. The maps, Desolation and Tombstone, are available now through Xbox Live.

And there’s an even better way for you to get a taste of Halo 3 coming soon. On May 16 the Halo 3 Multiplayer Beta will go live, letting you try out the Xbox Live portion of the game months before it is on shelves. You’ll be able to try out three maps – Snow Bound, Valhalla and High Ground – and there will be a huge selection of new and old game types so you can put the maps through their paces. You’ll also get the chance to wield some new weapons, including the stunning Shield Grenade (as seen in the Starry Night Halo 3 TV commercial), the spikey Brute Grenade, and the ridiculously powerful Spartan Laser. You can get a look at all these features in Bungie’s “Is Quisnam Protero Damno!” Video Documentary, available for download now from Xbox Live Marketplace.

So that’s two very good reasons why the wait for Halo 3 will be more than bearable. You want more? Well, how about a stunning line-up of other Xbox 360 games coming in the next few months? Guitar Hero 2 is already turning the world into rock and roll stars with its Xbox 360-exclusive Gibson X-Plorer controller and huge track list. Forza Motorsport 2 will be screaming into view soon, taking racing to the next level with ultra-realistic controls and amazing new ways to customise and trade your cars on Xbox Live. Then there’s Mass Effect, an RPG that will ask you to save the whole universe from evil – except this time you have to choose where to start.

See? Waiting’s not so bad, is it?

By Graeme Boyd, Xbox Community Manager. Gamertag: AceyBongos