Naturally, this neat setup would count for nothing if the game itself didn't play like Operation Flashpoint. The controller layout may resemble your average FPS, but that's certainly not what this is. Storming in with your gun blazing will get you killed in seconds. Instead you have to pick your way slowly through missions, keeping an eye out for movement in the distance. It pays to remember that your weapon is an assault rifle, not an uzi; aimed shots are the order of the day, not panicked sprays. Having said that, it's actually quite hard to take down your enemy when they appear to be little more than a splodge on a far-off hill. One of my abiding memories of the original game was of being mildly terrified of an enemy I could barely see, and this sequel seems to have that same tension in spades.

Of course, you eventually get used to the ways of simulated warfare. You realise the importance of suppressing fire, of crawling into cover, and of sticking close to your mates. You'll also learn to check whether your target is dead or not, since often you'll plug a guy only to have one of his chums come over and patch him up. On the bright side, this lets you re-enact the sniper scene from Full Metal Jacket – wounding one soldier and then taking out the second when he runs over to help. And naturally enough, the same rules now apply to you: when you inevitably do take a bullet, you may be able to save yourself by healing or calling for a medic. Time is of the essence here, since it doesn't take long to bleed to death from an untreated wound. Oh, and it's also worth mentioning that you can even be killed by the bullets that miss you, since ricocheting shots are just as deadly as those that hit their target.