System Shock proved that first-person shooters don't have to be limited to blood 'n' guts; there's room for a storyline too, and where they led, several others followed. Now EA are ready to bring us the sequel.
Andy Smith

System Shock? Isn't that a 'judder'?
Where alcohol 'kinda messes around with your periodontal atrium'?

Yes!
No.

Oh. What is it then?
As this is a games magazine, it won't be too surprising to find this is a PC first-person shooter.

Not another one...
It's true, we have had a slew of them in recent months, some better than others, but this one's got a good pedigree being the sequel to the well received System Shock that won the hearts and minds of fans of this genre a while back.

But we've had Half Life now. What more could we ask for?
Everything can be improved and System Shock II offers a couple of new role-playing twists to the first person shooter genre.

Groovy! How'd they do that then?
Well, after your initial training your character has a set level of abilities, in three areas: Psi, Tech and Weapons. As you progress through the game you've got the chance to upgrade your character's abilities in these areas. Suppose you're a fan of using the Psi weapons, when you get the chance to upgrade you can add some more points to your Psi rating, increasing your abilities in this area. Get the picture?

Yes, I see. And I like it too.
So you should - it's a groovy way to add role-playing elements to a familiar format.