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No One Lives Forever 2 Review - PC

When the not so clever powers at be in H.A.R.M decide to take over the world again there's only one person that can stand in their way. She's sexy, smart, sophisticated and gutsy. No I'm not talking about Britney Spears in Crossroads (ed - isn't that just about some chick travelling across the country trying to get laid?). I'm talking about Cate Archer, super spy of the last millennium. Take a classic James Bond movie, mix it with a bit of Austin Powers and add a twist of Flying High and you'll starting getting an idea of what 'A Spy in Harms Way' has in store.

Cates old enemy H.A.R.M is out and about again and it’s up to Cate to find out what Project Omega is and put a stop to it. Like most narrative based 3rd person adventure\shooters, this game takes you across a wide range of locales and missions Some of your enemies will include Siberian soldiers, deadly Ninjas and even lethal street actors (haven't we all seen a few of them in our time!).

As you would expect from the follow up to the original NOLF, the story is great and actually holds together quite a few interesting 3rd person shooter elements. Not only will you have to fend off enemies and sneak around to avoid detection but you'll also have to find secret intelligence vital to the plot of the game and also complete the odd side projects when the opportunity presents itself. It's all based around taking out various gangsters, sleuthing for leads and infiltrating the enemies' world wide web of evil. Unlike Hitman 2 the balance between covert operations and violence is excellent so you never feel like you're missing out on one or the other. That means lots of chances to use all those shiny weapons.

The game’s engine has some interesting characteristics which make it quite adventure oriented rather than just a plain shooter. One interesting element is the ability to 'power up' your vital skills like accuracy, vitality, sneaking, hiding, searching and lock picking. As you gain intelligence points through picking up vital objects and training manuals you can use the points to update your skills. It's good to be able to actually see the improvements gained though assigning your points to various skills. For example picking locks and searching bodies for ammo and health becomes quicker as you upgrade these skills.

Being a super spy means searching for clues is part of the job and that is exactly what the game lets you do. Open safes, rummage though filing cabinets, pat down unconscious guards for clues, weapons and even the odd banana. It's all in the game. The more you search the more you find and the more points you have to improve your skills.

Another important part of the spying game is keeping yourself hidden when someone is on your tail or has caught ... (continued next page)