Game: "God of War 2"

Console: PlayStation 2

Developer/publisher: Sony Computer Entertainment America

Genre: Action/adventure

Number of players: 1

Rated: M for mature

The premise: In the previous installment of "God of War," Ares (the god of war) cursed Kratos of Sparta. Kratos, in retaliation, killed Ares. In this new installment, Kratos has taken Ares' place and become the new god of war, inspiring the Spartans and encouraging their plans for world conquest. What better inspiration than a man who defied a god and then became one himself? Not everyone, however, is pleased with his ascent to power. Plans and strategies are being made and they do not look favorable for Kratos.

Game play: "If it ain't broke, don't fix it" — and truly, there wasn't much wrong with the first "God." The original style and controls have been retained in this sequel, making the game feel like an old friend, but the creators did tweak the moves. Thanks to this improvement, you will find yourself pulling off different moves and different finishing moves against the many enemies. The graphics look even better and the music is just as epic as in the first game.

The good/bad: The game pushes violence to the max with inventive moves and creative kills.

It's a very intense game, and perhaps its creators felt the need to slow it down a little. So it's odd seeing your "killing machine" tiptoe with his arms to his sides, slowly traversing a sliver of walkway — that's something I'm not happy to see return.

Like the previous game, you have unlimited "continues" and multiple "save points." Nothing is more irritating than having the save spots spaced too far apart.

Tips: In the very beginning, Kratos falls into an area with water all around him. Instead of diving straight down, you should explore the area and destroy one of the wooden screens to unlock a "racy" mini-game. Explore every possibility when dealing with a puzzle — you need to be really creative to solve them — and be sure to check out the entire area to uncover chests containing phoenix feathers and gorgon eyes. These help you max out your health and magic. If you're stuck in a spot, try destroying everything on the screen or backtrack.

My take: This is exactly what you would hope for in an action game. It has an interesting plot, creative and well-themed enemies. It has great controls, fighting system, "powering up" system, voice-overs, graphics, locations and camera angles. I enjoyed the challenging and non-irritating puzzles throughout the game. It's a very good sequel.

Jeffrey Davis, of Honolulu, is a video-game enthusiast.