Ubisoft certainly have a tough act to follow with the 'Far Cry' franchise, after German studio 'Crytek' blew our minds (and quite a few of our computers) with the stunning visuals and open world exploration of the original game it was hard to see how it could be topped especially by another developer.
The short answer is that in many ways 'Far Cry 2' cannot escape the shadow of the original but taken as a piece on its own is a solid first person shooter.
The premise is that you are sent to a fictional African country to eliminate gunrunner when you become ill with malaria. The hunt for the main target becomes a little lost throughout the game as you receive missions from a number of different sources without much continuity.
Surprisingly the visuals haven't advanced much beyond and its predecessor however the main selling point is fire. Explosions and Molotov cocktails cause satisfying destruction great bushfires which can assume large portions of the environment. It certainly is a very beautiful and addictive part of the game. Also to the games credit is its open world and various forms of transport.
Unfortunately it is let down slightly by its repetitive missions and infrequent bugs (such as enemies magically reappearing if you leave the location).
In conclusion, the visuals are great and combat engaging and despite some minor annoyances with technical problems and lacklustre story development it certainly deserves a place in the library of any fan of the genre.