Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon 2 (XBox)

Plugged amongst the like of full spectral warrior; this tactical war sim `on the field` isn't just for soldiers of fortune. Once again, a great title amongst the Tom Clancy series. It's very tough but addictive once you get into it. As a team operative/leader you're given several battle scenarios ranging from securing airfields & blowing things up, to covert missions under fire. It doesn't have the same troup management complexity of rainbow six but this helps the action. Has some stealth game play but don't expect anything similar to the splinter cell games. Controls are very easy to get accustomed to becoming second nature quickly. The range of weaponry is impressive & realism/atmosphere is great. Bullets whiz past your head, choppers buzz around cutting trees bark & injuring team mates. Allies perform air strikes around you as you're desperately securing each corner of urban battle fields. It probably resembles real life battle conditions closely. Attention to detail is brilliant. The enemy A.I is right up there with the best; they hide behind rocks, circle your position and generally make life very tough. Being able to designate yourself as a different type of operative by choice of weaponry gives you a variation of Gp each time, each mission. It's never the same twice and progress is determined by the choices you make. Found the difficulty curve a little high so had to resort to playing it on an easier setting. It's also easy to overwrite your progress if you're distracted easily. Graphics are incredible with really complex textures & smoke effects. The sound is what really makes the game though- if you're running the system through Dolby pro logic, stuffs happening all around. It's absorbing. The missions range from lengthy to minimal. Some of the areas are huge. The two player co-operative modes great fun, feeling like you're really going into battle with a friend. Can be frustrating, progress a little twitchy/repetitive but a good game which you`ll keep going back to.