Having created the perfect World War II blaster first time around, Infinity Ward drafted in a team of military advisors to make Call Of Duty 2 more immersive and realistic than its distinguished predecessor. Not surprisingly, the results are stunning.
Unlike the first games eerily silent skirmishes, the incessant chatter of comrades and enemies is all-pervasive in the latest edition, from the heart-rending screams of rookie soldiers cut to shreds by shrapnel to panicked Nazis jostling to escape when you toss a grenade into their armoured truck.
Portable concealment another missing element from the original game also makes an appearance this time, all sides using smoke grenades to mask their movements and confuse enemy forces, the murky clouds diffusing convincingly around the environments and giving you valuable time to make your escape when faced by overwhelming odds.
Aside from these tweaks, though, its Call Of Duty business as usual, the perfectly-balanced, beautifully-realised skirmishes thrusting you into the heat of battle and offering a real sense of what it was like to take part in this decisive conflict.