The sequel to 2001's smash hit Max Payne (originally on PC, now available on PS2, Xbox and even Gameboy Advance), Max Payne 2 takes the original mix of action, adventure and extreme violence to the next level. Tweaking the games unique bullet time (more on that in a second), chucking in the havoc physics engine (more on this too, shortly) and cranking up everything else (graphics, sound, story - the works) this sequel is all about giving the gamer even more of what they got last time; gaming nirvana.

The base gameplay is pretty straightforward - third person shooter action, with some adventuring thrown in. The unique "graphic novel" (that's a comic, for you newbies out there) method of sewing the levels together into a cohesive story, in addition to the gritty voice overs helps lift the game above your generic shooter. But what really makes all the difference and shoots the game into the stratosphere is bullet time.

As you go through the game, by killing bad guys and generally being cool, you fill up your bullet time hourglass - it's next to the health meter, in the bottom left of the screen. To activate bullet time mode (which uses up the time in the meter), you click the right mouse button - and everything slows down. Just like in The Matrix, you are able to jump around and shoot the badguys with extreme style, the slowdown giving you the time you need to best judge where to shoot or just generally look incredibly cool as you slay the enemy hoarde.

Activating bullet time turns the screen into shades of sepia, adding to the effect and intensity that diving around and shooting bad guys already gives you. Everything slows down too - not just the visuals; you'll notice the sound slowing down, the bad guys will move slower and you'll see the guns firing in slow motion. Once in bullet time mode, time will actually slow down further as you mow down the bad guys, until you can eventually dodge bullets. This tiny yet significant change dramatically affects how the game plays - the intensity ramps up as you blast away and the advantage you get from slowing down even further is only ecclipsed in sheer coolness by the amazing cinematic effect - you will feel like an action movie star, untouchably superior to all!

If you think that would make the game easy, you are very much mistaken. The bad guys are numerous, accurate and good at using cover to their advantage. You need to use strategy and actually think about how you can use the cover in the room to your advantage, or you'll find yourself collapsing to the floor as a red haze settles in on your conciousness. Which brings us to the next point - the game levels are not the static, clinically clean and sterile environments from games gone by. Instead, each level is literally littered with a vast array of chairs, boxes, desks, phones - pretty much, in fact, anything and everything that you would expect to find in reality. Medical equipment in the hospital, crates and forklifts and magazines etc in the warehouse - you name it, it's there. The level of detail in the expansive environments is incredible.

Originally planned to debut in Half-Life 2, the delay of that game has meant that the new Havoc physics engine is first seen in Max Payne 2. What this means, for the lay person, is that objects in the game behave much as you would expect them to in reality - bump into a chair, it will slide across the room. Run into a door, it will slam open. Open a cabinet and you might bump a folder or book over, or perhaps you will alert the enemy to your presence by knocking over a box - it's all possible.

This cool new physics system is extended to dramatic effect to the enemies themselves; shoot them in the shoulder and watch them recoil realistically, shoot them in the groin and watch them blast backwards as you would expect. This ragdoll physics continues once the character is dead - the figure of your enemy will crumple and fall exactly as you would imagine someone would do in reality. Looking around a room after a big fight, you will find the badguys slumped over desks, sprawled on the floor or leaning grotesquely against the wall. These effects are completely based on what you do and the physics of the situation and are therefore completely variable - and unbelieveably atmospheric to behold. Combined with the fantastic graphics, sound and presentation, this effect adds to the realism and film-noir effect like nothing ever seen before.

The story picks up from where the original left off - Max has returned to the NYPD, after his foray into the dark world of the DEA. As the game opens, Max is in pretty poor condition in a hospital bed - the voiceovers (from Max's memory) hint at his volatile condition, as he struggles to free himself from the medical equipment so he can figure out what is going on. Things go downhill fast from here, in an orgy of violence and slow motion destruction, as you guide Max in discovering and escaping what's going on.

The presentation of the story is primarily through, like the original, gritty comic-book style art, with very nicely acted voice overs over the top. These voice overs, in classic pulp detective novel style, spin a yarn of deceit and evil that extends outside the common criminal and into the realms of consipiratorial corruption at the very top of big business and politics. The story is often told at key moments in gameplay itself, via voice overs or character interaction, and is very entertaining. If you played through the original, you'll enjoy the nods to the earlier story but if you are new to the series, there is a handy "previously on Max Payne..." catchup section.

The combination of killer graphics, amazing presentation, the new physics engine and the exceptional implementation of bullet time makes for an incredibly entertaining experience. It's a little short (6-10 hours, depending on how you play) and it doesn't vary massively from the original gameplay but boy - what a ride. Completing the game unlocks a series of additional gameplay modes for extra challenge and you can download extra chapters from the internet (http://www.maxpayne2.com) once you tire of the standard set.

In a nutshell, this is one of the most compelling games since the original - if you like action and you like the bullet time concept, you simply cannot miss this. It only misses out on a perfect score due to the brevity; here's hoping the next in the series (please Remedy, please make another one!) will be longer. It's otherwise perfect and highly recommended to all.