involved piloting through the cosmos. It most definitely is a big help to space sim novices such as myself. Also a big assistance is the help system, under the guise of your cyber-companion, Jefferson Clay. He's basically here to help you transverse the difficult learning curve and get a sufficient handle on the game's controls. Without good old Jefferson, IW2 would be an annoyingly difficult undertaking.

The CG graphics are really sweet, and the in-game visual presentation is pretty sugar-laced too. Combine that with a dramatic musical score and top-notch sound 
effects, and you get a multi-sensory treat when playing IW2. The CG movies contained within IW2 are better than most parading through the gaming world today. You got to give props to Particle Systems and Infogrames, because the good voice acting in IW2 is refreshing for what is usually a pretty bad, low-standard game feature normally. The starships and the vast expanse of space and the planets, moons and any other pieces of the astronomical glossary you may run across such as asteroids are detailed and help give the game a superior graphical definition. The visuals are easily a strong point of the game.

Pay close attention during the Story Mode: Puzzles throughout the game essential to moving to the next chapter of the story are sometimes vague and hard to figure out unless you remember clues from the gameplay and dialogue. Many of them needed to solve missions will take several tries before hitting pay dirt. The problem with this is that the game will throw you back to a previous save spot, which may lead you to spend time unnecessarily retracing your steps to get back to the puzzle you just left. This is the game's worst gameplay offense, but isn't fatal to the game's enjoyment at all, just a minor frustration veteran gamers can get past as they uncover IW2's gameplay gems. Related to this, the only other negative in IW2 is the save feature. The only way to save your game progress is by travailing back to your base, which is usually a boring, five-minute real-time space flight.

Quick-thinking reactions become a definite asset during the fighting sequences. Figuring out your weapons, flight, and shielding needs under duress from the attack of an enemy keeps you on your toes. You don't have time to sit back and plan an attack. If your ship is damaged and in need of repairs, you must be able to get the repairs done while at the same time continue an attack or defensive course of action.

Online play can be a little tricky to initialize. But once you find someone to square off against or join in online battle, things become fun. The multiplayer online features enhance the terrific single-player adventure. Whether playing Deathmatch, Team Deathmatch, Capture The Flag or Bomb Tag, the online play is much easier because you're only worried about one aspect of the game: space fighting. And if you have trouble finding human competition to battle online, just set up a game with computer-controlled ships. They are harder than you think to take out unless you are a skilled space fighter pilot.

IW2 is a good game for (PATIENT) space sim fans. It will take a while to get used to the nuances of the game's controls. That can be a good thing or bad, depending on your perspective on a long training curve. Missions are also long to complete, which gives many gameplay hours for your purchase, not something every game hitting the market nowadays can boast. However, the long timeframes of learning to be a top-flight space pirating pilot will reward you in the end as you complete the storyline and prove a proficient adversary to all those who dare challenge you for online gaming superiority.

- Lee Cieniawa