Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic II -- The Sith Lords [Xbox]

Faced with the challenge of improving on one of 2003's best games, Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic, new development house Obsidian Entertainment opted to stick with the proven formula. Although a few more original elements would have been welcome, they've captured almost everything that made Bioware's classic so entertaining.

Plot-wise, Knights 2 is a familiar story -- although at least this time your character doesn't suffer from amnesia. You do have to piece your own history together, but it's done through your own dialogue choices as you explain past events. There's no real epic Plot Twist like in the first game, but equally, your character and companions have enough depth to keep the story interesting.

In this sequel, the player starts as a Jedi, rather than becoming one halfway through the game. Or, at least, you start as something approaching a Jedi -- expulsion and isolation have separated you from your Force powers, and as you level up, you'll gradually regain them. Again, you're free to favor the light or dark side of the Force, and take appropriately good or evil solutions to the problems you encounter. If anything, the evil path has become even more satisfyingly and casually brutal, and many players will want to play through twice to see both.

In presentation terms, little has changed. Knights of the Old Republic wasn't a visually stunning game, and nor is its sequel. In fact, in some ways it's taken steps backward; clipping problems (when two solid objects "overlap"), occasionally slow framerates, and other visual glitches are more evident here than before. Character animations and combat moves are largely familiar, but there wasn't much wrong with them to begin with -- Knights 2 still has the best lightsaber battles outside of The Phantom Menace.

As before, combat is based on the roll of a virtual dice, and can be paused to give orders to your party at your discretion. Obsidian has made some welcome tweaks to aspects of combat, character development, and bonuses. You spend the first third of the game with no lightsaber, so you'll be pleased to hear unarmed fighting has had a major revamp -- other changes include prestige classes for high level Jedi, a few new feats, and a great many new and powerful Force powers.

True to its roots, Knights 2's voice cast is first-rate. A few of the original game's stars reprise their roles (we'll leave you to discover which), but the game doesn't miss those who are absent -- the new crowd is excellent. Even your standard issue Han Solo scoundrel-type manages to be less irritating than usual, and while the humor that shone through occasionally in Knights isn't as noticeable, it's still there.

But personality takes a much more prominent role this time around. Rather than just gaining dark or light side points according to your conversational choices, you can also affect your influence over the character you're talking to. Different approaches work best with different characters, and without being seriously two-faced, you'll find it hard to get along with everyone.

This system also influences other aspects of the game: Better relationships with certain characters might encourage them to fill you in on some more of the plot, train you in special skills, or upgrade their fighting ability. It's probably the most significant addition Obsidian has made.

Your team is also more differentiated this time. Some characters have special skills or abilities (like giving the whole party an experience bonus, for example). You're not exempt from these abilities, either -- for example, if you have high charisma, your whole party will fight slightly better. So there's more incentive to be constantly thinking about your party configuration and swapping out characters to keep an optimum line-up.

Knights was criticized for being a bit on the easy side, especially at the beginning and end. Its sequel manages to be more of a tough proposition right from the get-go, throwing large groups of dangerous droids at you with little preparation. If you're from the item-hoarding school of RPG players, you'll have to get over it -- grenades, energy shields, medipacks, and so on aren't there for decoration, and you'll need all of them to make it through.

Once you regain a few more of your Jedi skills things ease off, but the game has a few tricks up its sleeve to keep the difficulty level reasonable. You'll find yourself forced into certain -- perhaps undesirable -- party configurations at intervals, and this can feel a little contrived.

Sadly, loading times also remain a problem. You can't go far in one direction without switching zones and having to wait for some considerable time while the next one is prepared. Combine that with the fairly high quantity of fetching and carrying needed on some planets, and you've got a recipe for frustration.

Small issues aside, there's no doubt this sequel is easy to recommend. While it won't make as much of an impact as its predecessor, Knights of the Old Republic 2's strong gameplay mechanics, interesting and well-voiced characters, and genuine, unforced sense of atmosphere make it almost as compelling to play. You won't be disappointed.