The latest installment of the Ghost Recon series gets its treatment on the Xbox, and the results are good. Fast to learn yet hard to master, this game aims to please both veterans and rookies of the genre. The game is a series of fifteen missions revolving around a war in North Korea with cut scenes in between missions done in a historical documentary style. These short videos both deliver the mission briefing and the outcomes of your missions in a refreshing style. There are a wide variety of mission types: stealth, assault, defense, and my personal favorite, lone-wolf.

How does the game play? Cosmetically it's similar to the first batch of Ghost Recon games. The graphics aren't as blocky as before and the textures are higher resolution too. That said, it can still be hard to spot a soldier through the trees, unless he's shooting at you. You lead a squad of efficient killers against a horde of enemies that are usually bad shots. Equip yourself and your team with a wide variety of potent and futuristic military hardware and then play out the mission, following the blue way point dots to do so. What's different? The default third person, over the shoulder view is the first big difference. It's easy to get used to and really helps when diving for cover and shooting around corners, something you'll be doing often. You're also locked into playing the commanding soldier, gone are the multiple squads of the previous titles. This makes the action more immersive and quick-paced, the game is never boring. The squad you lead is perhaps your greatest weapon, and issuing orders to them is easy and works well for the most part.

What happens when it all doesn't work well though? Luckily you can save at any point during the missions. Saving early and often is something I'd recommend too. If you die, it's game over, and these missions are no cakewalk. Facing hundreds of North Korean infantrymen, tanks, helicopters, and blowing them up is a blast; it really does feel like you're fighting in a war zone. The bullets fly furiously in all directions, and if one catches you in the face, it's time to reload that game. The levels start out difficult and get harder from there, you'll have to load your game many times each level, especially in the lone-wolf missions where you're without any squad mates to watch your back. There's a trial and error element to the game. All enemies are always placed the same and act the same, so when that sniper in the window kills you, just reload the game and you can easily take him out. Patience is perhaps the best thing on a players side while playing this game as you'll find yourself replaying certain places in some missions many times before you get it right.. Those of you easily frustrated had best steer away.

The ghost element of the Ghost Recon series doesn't really seem to be there this time around. The stealth element has been removed in favor of a more action oriented game. If you can see an enemy soldier, he sees you and begins shooting. That's about the best the enemy AI is capable of too. They'll either shoot, or run straight towards you. As for your squad, they'll usually follow your orders well and not get lost, and mercifully are better shots than the enemy. Unfortunately they're still not that bright, often ignoring the enemy soldier adjacent to them to fire at a more distant target.

The multiplayer aspect is present and solid, providing multiple game types over XBox live, split screen, and system link. The game supports a large number of players in multiplayer mode, which is positive as most of the maps are quite large.

As for special content, the only really special stuff are the videos of the US Army's Future Warrior program. Definitely worth a watch if you've got a few minutes to spare, very cool stuff. All the rest are simply renders of weapons, vehicles, and players found in the game.

Up for a challenge? Up for some action? Pick up Ghost Recon 2. I guarantee you won't get bored of this cinematic action packed shooter.