There's no other Cold War hero like David Jones - even when Steve Polak is pulling the strings.
In the original game the acronym IGI used to stand for I'm Going In, but in this sequel things are more sophisticated. IGI now stands for Institute for Geotactical Intelligence, and even though the new moniker is pompous rubbish, the game is a decidedly better effort in every other regard.
One thing hasn't changed in this latest incarnation: IGI is still all about taking on seemingly overwhelming numbers of enemies in hostile locations and somehow always coming up trumps.
You play as the ever-capable David Jones, and having successfully managed a retail empire for years you now decide to return to your true love, the life of a secret agent.
Your mission is to investigate rumours the Russians are developing a new EMP weapon that has the potential to threaten the balance of power in the Cold War, a shadowy conflict that has flared up again in recent years.
So the game gets off to a flying start with you parachuting into Russian controlled territory to investigate a research facility. This mission is set at night and in some regards this is a dubious choice to start things off, as it is only in the light of day that you appreciate just how detailed and open some of the environments you visit are.
There are some good toys for you to use too. The binoculars are essential kit for when you are sussing out an area and getting a feel for it. They really help you spot enemy patrols and determine the safest way to sneak into a stronghold. The laser sight is another more high tech gadget that you'll love for the heaven-sent havoc you can summon once you have locked on a target and called in the stealth bombers. There are also thermal goggles and a number of decent silenced and unsilenced weapons that for the most part are satisfying to use. Silenced weapons can be particularly useful, as stealth is often critical.
You might find the recoil from some of the machine guns a little off putting though as it does affect your aim a fair bit if you simply blaze away. Smart shooters will learn to use shorter and more accurate bursts. This is realistic even if some will find it less fun. The brilliant sniper rifle from the original game also makes a return.
If you have played the first IGI you will find there has been a subtle change in the AI, with enemies now being more capable of working together to triangulate, co-ordinating their efforts and looking to catch you in a cross fire. Still, sometimes your foes will just stand there and let you turn them into Swiss cheese.
It is certainly a very welcome change that you can now save the game, as this was an annoying element in the first game, transparent as an artificial way of making the original effort challenging. Indeed, Innerloop has wisely given you three saves per level, so you can't just keep creeping forward while saving - you'll have to use your save games judiciously. This way there is still the tension you get from knowing your saves are limited, but you don't have to restart every level just because you keep getting stuck at the end of a mission.
There are a number of different mission types too. Naturally there are challenging base infiltration missions where you have to use stealth and mighty good marksmanship to penetrate terrorist strongholds, but there are also towns, airbases, and caves to explore.
The game even takes to you at least three countries, China, Libya and Russia, so there is some architectural variety.
Not all stages are the same. Take for example the mission that begins with you aboard a helicopter. In this sortie you have to man the chopper's guns and take out AA on the ground so you can make it to your landing zone and continue on foot. For some perverse reason this mission doesn't let you save and it can be quite frustrating as the airborne bit is tough until you learn, by getting walloped more than a few times, where the ground-based rockets are.
For the most part the new targeting reticule is a welcome change. Just like more serious combat simulations IGI now sports a movement-sensitive targeting system. If you shoot while on the run you will be less accurate, and this is indicated by a larger target icon on your HUD. You don't get further bonuses if you stay completely still and aren't swivelling your view around, but at least it is a start.
IGI2 is also now a multiplayer game, but it is really the engaging single player experience that makes this a solid improvement over the promising yet flawed original. This is the game 007 Agent Under Fire should have been.
Issue: 137 | June, 2012