In what's been a bumper week all-round for French publisher Ubisoft, news arriving late yesterday continues the company's booming trend, as it was revealed that 2 is in for consoles and the at long-time series developer Red Storm. The game is currently on course for a debut this Christmas. This long-awaited full sequel promises a future-setting, amid the vast battlefields of tomorrow, and the implication is that the deep horrors of large-scale conflict will be brought to life more vividly than ever before.

"Ghost Recon has established itself as a mega-selling franchise, and we've retained the core elements that made the first game such a success," enthused Laurent Detoc, President of Ubisoft. "But for Ghost Recon 2, we wanted to dial up the intensity and adrenaline to create an experience of total war. We've retooled and improved every aspect of the game, and have integrated a host of incredible new features - and the result is amazing. You will truly feel like you are the hero of a near-future war when playing this game."

High-tech warfare will be represented in the game in every nuance, and a brand-new, more-involving plotline promises to immerse the player far deeper into the experience - alongside a fully redesigned graphics engine. East Asia will be the backdrop for the game's premise, and the player will be placed in charge of an elite squad "thrust into a tense political situation." Like the original genre-busting titles in the series, will also be a key factor, and we're promised the 'must have' experience for the 2004 'Holiday season.' That's on both PCs and consoles, apparently.

"Ghost Recon is now recognized as a top-selling franchise, and we've kept the values that made the first opus such a success," gushed Alain Corre, Ubisoft's MD for Europe, Asia Pacific and South America. "Now with Ghost Recon 2, we have brought up the intensity and adrenaline in order to throw the player right into the middle of modern war-chaos. Our teams have been working on bringing immersion to the next level - and the result is simply amazing. You will really feel like you are at the centre of a true war machine when playing this game."

More on the latest in this five-million selling series as we get it.

By Luke Guttridge