As far as violent computer games go, Condemned 2 is pretty much as far down the line as you can possibly imagine.

A sequel to the equally gratuitious Xbox launch title, Condemned 2 could probably best be described as a horror FPP title - that is, First Person Puncher.

Whereas in most first person action games (the excellent Mirror's Edge aside) the focus is 99% on the use of firearms to dispach your adversaries, with melee combat as a sort of extreme last resort, in Condemned 2 the melee combat is the raison d'etre.

The control system is simple, with the left and right triggers used to punch and block, and the L1 button used to perform an outrageous kick. This might sound dull and limited, however, this is excluding two brilliantly implemented beat-em-up influenced factors.

The power bar at the top of the screen builds as you inflict pain upon your enemies. As you would expect, once it has amassed you can pull off one of a range of stylistic slow motion ultraviolent special attacks. Not for the faint hearted.

Similarly, there are many many places in the game levels where you can perform 'environment' kills. Just look for the little grey skull - you see that TV over there? Wanna smash a baddie into it face first? How about that industrial saw.... yeah you get the idea. It's gruesome, but undeniably fun.

Level design in Condemned 2 is similarly grotty, and the designers have done a good job. The world you roam is suitably, well, condemned, as you dispense bloody noses in derelict shops, amusement arcades, old factories, you get the idea.

For a game concept that may seem a bit base and indulgent, the storyline is surprisingly captivating. The voice acting is great, and throughout you'll meet some memorable characters as the plot grows ever thicker!

Graphics and sound wise, Condemned 2 is as good as you'd expect from an Xbox 360 game. The detail is great, as are the animations... and they have to be, for a game based so much on gratuitous violent combat! A word of warning though, the visualisation here, both graphically and sonically, is not for squeamish people!

If you're okay with the violence, the only real problem here is the tacked on multiplayer. Due to the focus being away from guns, multiplayer combat is a confusing mess, and it's not really that much fun. Hopefully one day the two genres will collide, but at the moment this side just aint working.

Overall, Condemned 2 is a fun and engrossing single player experience. Yes, it's really very graphically violent. But if you like that thing, and you like the idea of roaming around darkened corridors beating people up, you can't get much better a gaming experience than this!