THQ has announced that development of S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Shadow of Chernobyl is now complete and has gone gold.

S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Shadow Of Chernobyl screenshot

S.T.A.L.K.E.R. has been so long in development that it's hard to believe it's really going to be released soon. It's true though and, based on our hands-on impressions from last month, it's looking pretty impressive.

THQ has now confirmed that the game has reached the gold master stage of development and is now entering manufacturing ready for its UK release on March 23.

You can read much more about S.T.A.L.K.E.R. if you head over to our recent preview.