It's a good looker I take it?
Certainly is. SSII is right up there with the best of them in terms of detailed graphics and speed. The sound is fantastic too, especially as, in the early missions at least, you're guided through the levels by a voiceover telling you what to do next or where to go.

That's nice. I bet it's a pig to play though...
Not a bit. There's a wonderful new interface that enables you to switch from shooting to 'doing' mode with a press of the Tab key. Most of the objects you interact with can be picked up with a simple mouse click and then a simple Tab key press enables you manipulate the objects you've picked up. It works very well.

So it's all just shooting then?
Not at all. They've managed to include several puzzles into the game which will see you hacking into computer systems, getting past code-locked doors and all manner of cyberpunk tomfoolery.

And multiplayer?
Natch. And there's even a novel four-player co-operative mode so you and three chums can try to get yourselves out of some tricky situations.

That sounds like a lot of fun.
Doesn't it just. Of course, with any co-operative game you've got to have one of you who's just a pain and insists on shooting the other group members when they get bored. They think it's funny.

It is!
Go and judder somewhere else...

* RPG elements smoothly blended into a first-person shooter
* Great graphics engine too
* Four player co-operative mode
* Simple, easy to use interface
* The novelties might prove to not be novel enough