Advanced Warfighter 2 PC Hands-On

We take the all-new Ghost Recon for a spin, in the unique PC version of Advanced Warfighter 2. Or should that be Advanced Warfighter 2: Ghost Strategies, perhaps?

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Unlike the console version, you can customise your choice of weaponry for the different members of your squad, each benefiting from primary, secondary and side weapons - the idea is that you strategically equip each of your four controllable squad members for their intended role in each battle, which might take some practise for some gung-ho console gamers but will be second nature to many an old-hand PC pro. The pre-game weapon strategy translates to the in-game battlefield with a very strategic, tactical pace. Rather than running and gunning (which you can't actually do in THIS first-person game!), you can expect to approach locations and hotspots with skilful caution, because if you run, then quite realistically, you can't target properly.

Taking cover is utterly essential as you move through the level with your squad, and we particularly like the way your man can dash to a new cover point and slide feet-first behind it to save those extra milliseconds that might otherwise have seen your head blown off with a rocket launcher. Fortunately, controlling the squad isn't as daunting as it might sound to less experienced players; you've got the tactical map (overhead satellite feed) that shows you what's going on and you just click the point where you want your squaddies to go and kick some, and they kick some (or wait for your next move as you figure out the perfect approach to the next bit without getting KILLED). See, that's not so difficult, is it? Just don't say 'RTS'. Shhh! Scary!

A great addition to the game is the Mule. In the same was as you control your squad, the Mule is a heavily armoured, nifty portable supplies drone. At your command it will come and drop off some ammo or even new weapons, but cooler than that, it can also be used as a sort of dynamic cover tactic if you need to block an open high-risk space, and better still, you can even see what it can see, thanks to its hi-tech video feed. Provided you don't sit there geekily wondering how the feed is transmitted to you (hey, I wonder if that's bluetooth, satellite or 3G feed! Is it PAL or NTSC? Oh - I'm dead) you can work out where those crafty enemies are hiding and figure out the best next move.

There's a decent set of routes and some scope in terms of how you progress through each area, and the range of environments early in the game is pretty diverse; this warrants some nicely varied, long-distance-meets-close-quarters gameplay as you progress using your different (and awesomely realistic-feeling) firs-person firearms, so whether you're in a mountainous area, small towns, urban environments, or even a large dam north of the US-Mexico border, players will want to be alert. Naturally, these locations are fantastic to look at in the newly re-stylised PC edition graphics. Which, by the way, run a lot more smoothly than the often-clunky original GRAW for PC. And you've got some brilliant set-pieces in cut scenes such as jumping out of helicopters and all that sort of malarkey which adds to the wow factor.

On the multiplayer side of things with GRAW2 on the PC, there'll be a standard Team Deathmatch option (one team is the Ghosts, the other is the Mexican rebels - or should that be Mexican freedom fighters and American rebels? Ahem), along with a mode called Recon Versus Assault. In this mode, one team has to destroy three specific points on the map while the other team must prevent them doing so, which thanks to the introduction of the class system, should prove a lot more fun and intricate than it might sound, and quite different from the game's singleplayer vibe. Expect 32-player support in multiplayer, too.

If you already through GRAW2 was too slow-paced for you compared to Half-Life 2 or Gears of War, then bear in mind this goes even further in the other, more strategic and tactical direction. GRAW2 for the PC looks set to be a proper PC shooter - it's a pleasant surprise, and worthy of serious attention from all Ghost Recon fans, regardless of whether they've played the 360 version of the game.

It's out on June 22. Stay tuned for our verdict.

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