VU Games has today announced that Monolith Productions is working on a prequel to the first-person shooter No One Lives Forever 2 for the PC. Contract J.A.C.K. is set directly after the events of the original No One Lives Forever and will see players assuming the role of John Jack, the H.A.R.M. organization's chief assassin, rather than that of UNITY agent Cate Archer.

　　Jack's mission will be to stop an Italian criminal organization that has plans to take H.A.R.M. down. Players will purportedly be up against Monolith's deadliest enemies to date in the game but will be equipped with an arsenal more than up to the job that includes powerful C4 charges, the Bacalov Corrector, and the prototype Cyclone laser rifle. According to today's press release, players will also be able to ride into certain battles on vehicles with mounted weaponry.

　　In addition to the single-player game, Contract J.A.C.K. will feature a complete suite of developer mod-making tools and a number of multiplayer modes including deathmatch, team deathmatch, demolition, and doomsday. Contract J.A.C.K. is currently scheduled for release later this year. For more details, check out our interview with Monolith's Craig Hubbard.