The continuation of Ryu's quest...
The gameplay is pretty much the same, the majority of the game is spent walking around the various areas of the game searching for the information you need to progress ever closer to finding your fathers murderer.
But while you do do a lot of searching, there is also plenty of fighting to be done, and Ryu's fighting style is changed a little, but it isn't anything players of the first game will not be able to figure out after the first fight.
The ATB's are back as well, and they can be a little frustrating...they can be long, tedious, and in some of them you aren't left much breathing room...but after 1 or 2 tries you will be fine.
A new addition to the game is that Ryu can work to get money. You can go work for the local gambling tables, and as long as you win and don't go below the preset limit you can make some pretty good money...but I don't reccomend this, I would just go about my business and find money in other places.
A decent game, and leaves the door right open for the 3rd installment...not as good as the first, but it is still worth playing if you have an xbox and were a fan of the original.