Unlike movies, sequels to games are usually not a setup for disappointment. Rather, the rapid advances in technology usually mean that a prettier, more polished game can be brought out. The only things that are left are to stay faithful to the original game and to the rules of game design in general. Elite Force 2 manages to nail all these, while presenting one of the best Trek experiences ever, outdoing even its predecessor.

The story picks up where Elite Force left off (Mild Spoilers ahead). Newly promoted Lieutenant Munro starts off with a rescue mission in a Borg Sphere, where members of his hazard team have been captured by the Borg, and the Voyager itself has been immobilised by a dampening field. Following the rescue and the disabling of the Sphere, the dampening field is neutralised, and the Voyager is finally able to warp its big ass out of the Delta Quadrant and make its way back to Starfleet. Once you make your way back to Starfleet, the hazard team is promptly informed that they are being disbanded, as their modus operandi is too 'unconventional' for Starfleet. After making a bit of fuss, the team members resign themselves to their fate, and go their separate ways.

Munro stays on at Starfleet as a combat tactics instructor for a couple of years, until one day, he is spotted by one Captain Jean-Luc Picard. Impressed with his (well, your) ability, he asks him where he learned his tactics, and Munro tells him about the hazard team and the shit they went through. Picard says it might be a good idea to reassemble a hazard team for the Enterprise, and Munro jumps at the chance to get back into active duty.

Right away, you can tell that this is no run of the mill story hastily written to justify blasting critters to kingdom come. Somebody's really put their head down and tried to make a story that catches the player's interest. Granted, it's cliched, but I'm willing to overlook that. Anyway, there's a lot more stuff that happens, two new alien races who you encounter, power plays, treachery, subterfuge, as well as good old alien ass-kicking.

This is as about as pretty as the Quake 3 engine will ever look, methinks. Every damn place reeks with atmosphere, and even the creepy alien infestations are looking good this time. Character models have been generously beefed up since the original Elite Force, and you can see the characters' expressions change to fit their moods/lines quite frequently. Starfleet headquarters is hands-down awesome. I just wandered around the place for a while, having a blast. Ritual have been a bit cheeky, and the weapons have been tweaked beyond Trek standards, resulting in the 'Advanced Compression Rifle' and the 'Assault Rifle'. This reportedly incurred the wrath of some Trekkies. Fuck em. I like the guns. And yes, all you destructive types, there's a rocket launcher here too.

Voice acting, brilliant again. Patrick Stewart thankfully lends his voice to Picard's character, and as most characters' lines aren't terribly embarrassing to recite, they do it with conviction. As for ambient and weapon sounds, I can't complain - pretty solid actually.

The combat is a little better this time around. Occasionally, allied characters do take damage, and if you require their services later on, you'd better make damn sure they survive the ride. Scripted sequences here flow smoother into the gameplay than in EF, though it still makes for a relatively linear experience. The AI is still quite shoddy though. Thankfully, there are more breaks from combat here, and all of them are well-implemented.

In between missions, you get to roam around the Enterprise, usually with a few objectives in hand, and you can eavesdrop on some crew members sharing an in-house joke or two. You even have the occasional choices in conversation, though very few affect the game directly. There are large parts of missions where you are simply exploring ghostships or abandoned facilities, and it has just the right amount of trepidation.

Mid-mission, your tricorder plays a huge role now, and that's a damn good thing. You can use it to scan for structural integrity (ie, weak spots you can shoot down), detect invisible scanners, as well as manipulate control terminals. For the terminals, access is usually granted by the completion of visual or logic puzzles and while it sounds lame, it actually works really well, especially if you're under pressure for time. Also, the game isn't ridiculously easy this time around, and playing it on 'Medium' should be fine. One minor gripe I have is the 'find the secret golden starship' element is too arcadey, and should've been left out altogether.

On the whole, one of the better shooters I've played, no doubt. Let there be an EF3!

Developer: Raven Software

Publisher: Activision

Platforms: PC, Mac.