A flawed gem, that will draw you in if you let it.
First things first; this game still has many of the stupid bugs which brought the first game down. There are still many areas where you can jump outside the map and wander round in the skybox, you will still get random crashes (although the game is blessedly more stable than the first) and there are many broken missions which are impossible to complete.
Having said that when this game works it plays amazingly. The graphics while not incredible, have a particular stark beauty. The world of STALKER will once again pull you in, and random ocurrences, such as factions attacking each other or a group of lone stalkers being slaughtered by the local wildlife are better implemented here, so that you really feel at once vulnerable and powerful as you sprint around the wilderness. For me the game really shines at night, where you will usually be solely reliant on your flashlight, illuminating the grass and trees a few meters in front of you, not knowing what will leap at you from the darkness.
Many much requested features have been implemented, such as quick travel between areas and the ability to customise and repair weapons. This game, as with the first, is brutally unforgiving in respects to combat. Be prepared to use cover religiously, compensate for bullet drop and use the quicksave feature regularly. Incredibly the story for this game is even worse and makes less sense than the original game, and thus you will find that the atmosphere tells it's own story in this game.
Certain features are particularly interesting and I look forward to their hopefully better implementation in future installments of the game, particularly the faction wars. I joined the freedom faction and attempted to destroy the duty faction only to sit outside their base killing hundreds of people while my allies refused to attack.
In conclusion this game improves upon the original, with the same compelling atmosphere and unique playstyle, although unfortunately many of the bugs were also continued into the sequel.