One thing that has defined the Final Fantasy games is the standalone nature of each installment: players that hadn't played previous games could easily enjoy the latest without any prior knowledge of the series.

But this has also led to some heartache for some players, who long to revisit the characters and lands they spent so much time with. Now Square Enix provides a first for players with a sequel to Final Fantasy X and game that provides something quite different to the original.

X-2 is not a normal Final Fantasy game. It breaks from the established traditions of the past and gives players something quite different. The 'girly' nature of the game, its use of missions, the small party of three, the omission of any sort of summons and the non-linear nature of the game all take it away from its roots. But while these changes may be a little off-putting for those looking for a more traditional RPG, X-2 still delivers with an engaging story and a deep set of systems behind it.

It also provides a welcome return to Spira, a place where gamers have spent many hours in Final Fantasy X. These strong links to the previous game will quite possibly be a barrier for players new to the series: much of the story in X-2 assumes a prior knowledge of the happenings in the last game and contains a few spoilers if that game hasn't been completed. Similarly, this review assumes some prior exposure to the last game, and it is stronly recommend players start with Final Fantasy X first.

The game opens with a cinematic at Luca Stadium again, only this time at a pop concert by Yuna rather than a blitzball game. The lighter, almost sugary feel of the game will not immediately impress some gamers, especially those used to a more serious RPG. In fact the first half hour of the game almost looks more like a mix of Charlie's Angels and Space Channel 5 than a Final Fantasy installment.

That feeling does die down a bit once the story kicks in, but never really goes away. Part of the reason for this is the strong female focus of the game with no male playable characters available and the story being told from Yuna's perspective. Another part is the integration of 'dressing up?into battles, which will be explained later.

X-2 is set two years after the defeat of Sin in the previous game. Spira has rebuilt and is slowly getting used to living life in the Calm. The original party has gone its separate ways, with Yuna and Rikku becoming sphere hunters with the Gullwings. Joining them as a hunter is a new character, Paine - a quiet, more serious-natured girl in the style of Lulu or Auron.

Hidden around Spira are various spheres containing short movies regarding Spira's past. Some can be rare or valuable and it is a sphere hunter's job to find them. At the beginning of the story Yuna has found a sphere containing somebody that looks like Tidus, and it is this that has spurred her to give up the summoning life to become a hunter to find similar spheres.

With X-2 set in Spira, players from the original game will recognise most of the locations. This is not necessarily a bad thing, as there is quite a bit of nostalgia value in revisiting some places. There's a feeling of homecoming as Yuna returns to Besaid Island again, and the same feeling of shock as we saw what had been done to Zanarkand since Sin was defeated. The locations are not totally the same, though, with most areas receiving little changes or new areas to explore. It would still have been good to have some new lands to explore, possibly a new part of Spira, but the existing areas still provide a lot of area to cover.

In another break with tradition, players are given an airship at the start of the game, opening up the whole of Spira straight away. This provides the freedom to explore different areas as you wish, giving quite a non-linear feel to the game.

X-2 is broken up into chapters. In each of the chapters a range of missions is available in different locations around Spira. Missions related to the central story, which usually involves finding spheres, are marked as 'hotspots? Locations that don't contain 'hotspots?can also contain missions, and change depending on which chapter the player is currently up to.

These side missions often provide a fuller picture of the main story, or involve the Gullwings helping out various citizens with tasks. This pick-and-choose nature of the game, where only the main missions are compulsory to complete, provides players with a lot of freedom as to how they want to spend their time. The story is not pushed along at all. While this can make it feel a little disjointed and unhurried, the overall story is a compelling one. Rather than being the overwhelming, apocalyptic type of Final Fantasy X, the story in X-2 is a little softer even when things do become dangerous.