Weapons are good, it’s a scientific fact. As an integral part of the you not only need a wide variety of weapons o’ death but they also have to ‘feel’ right as well. This was another area the original IGI did well in. The MP5 was a particular joy to use along with the SPAS shotgun. This time around the arsenal retains the old favourites and expands those available to a more than healthy 30 types of weaponry. To add a little more realism Jones won’t be able to carry every weapon he finds, adding a tactical element to choosing your load out. Weapon load outs won’t be selectable by the player, however the ability to pick up weapons from downed foes will provide opportunities to change your arsenal in game. AI is a bit of a contradiction in terms in a video game. There is no real AI, it’s all just scripts creating an illusion of an intelligent enemy. However with some good coding this illusion can create a great experience, just think back to your first encounter with the marines in Half-Life. This was another area the original IGI was lacking in. The sequel however has been revamped, with enemy troops now acting in a squad based manner instead of individually. No point in creating the stunning vistas if they’re inhabited by mindless goons. Again it’s something we’ll have to wait to see in the finished version but the signs look good. One major plus point is that the respawning bad guys of the original have been dropped.

Multiplayer has been added this time round. Details are sketchy but you can expect squad based combat on the traditional terrorist/counter-terrorist setup. Regardless of the proliferation of broadband the team are thinking about those with 56k modems. It should come as no surprise that those big outdoor environments will need to be cut down for play in order to accommodate everyone.

Project IGI 2:Covert Strike has the potential to be one of the great games this year. It was scheduled to appear during May, but seems to have slipped to September. No doubt the time is being used to polish the game as much as possible before release. Definitely one for the FPS aficionados to look forward to.

By Daniel Savage