While THPS2 might look a lot like the first game, let me assure you that that couldn't be further from the truth. Visually, the graphics appear to be of the same quality, but the size and the activity of many of the stages are greatly improved over the original. Not only are the stages larger (My estimation would be that the smallest is the size of THPS School level), but many stages are just bustling with activity. Take The Hangar (THPS2's first stage) for example. A huge helicopter lies in the middle of the stage once you grind on it (and land perfectly), the chopper will tale off and fly through the roof, causing debris to fall to the floor to create perfect ramps for you to access the area above. In terms of level design, Neversoft doesn't give you one chance to catch your breath. If you've played the first game to death, the levels will merely be difficult at times for the average player, but for those who are just getting into the game will have an extremely hard time even accomplishing half of the requirements in Career Mode.

The core mechanics of the game are essentially the same, so you'll have no problems scoring over 100,000 points in the first level if you're accustomed to the first game. Tony Hawk 2 introduces new features such as Manuals and Big Drops. Manuals are essentially grinds that you can do while you're skating around the course. You can accomplish this by tapping up, then down on the control pad. When this occurs, a vertical bar appears on top of your skater, indicating his balance. If it goes too much up or down, you'll slip off your board and lose any points you might have racked up. Manuals can be attached to any combo you pull off, whether it's before or after you start it, and the best part of Manuals are that you can link them between combos! Yes, you can link two combos together with Manuals, which can really add a ton of points to your score if used properly. 'Big Drops' as expressed earlier is a new feature in THPS2 that becomes accessible when jumping from a high areas off the ground. If you happen to fall to the ground in a Big Drop, you'll wipe out no matter what your orientation is (as I found out many... many times so far). I like this feature a lot; not only because it adds a touch of realism to an otherwise arcade-style game, but also for the fact it punishes those who wish to risk losing points in order to rack up the big combos. Another new gameplay bonus is Lip Tricks, which allow you to perform moves on the 'lip' of a half-pipe or bowl. There are literally hundreds of new moves for you to witness and perfect as you go on, and it only adds to the variety in each skater.

If you're familiar with the Career Mode in the original, I suggest that you take some time to feel your way around this mode again, as it's been reworked completely from the first game. You no longer have to find a certain number of tapes to access the next levels, but now you have to accomplish a multitude of tasks before setting foot in courses such as School II, New York City and Venice Beach. Each stage has about 9 objectives to complete in order to score enough cash to unlock the next level. These objectives range from acquiring 5 of a certain item, to achieving a score, and even attempting to Nollie off bums on the beach. While many of these tasks aren't too difficult, the fact remains that a majority of the goals cannot be completed until you have successfully completed the primary objectives. For example, in New York City you must get to the subway tracks and perform a Changing Rails transfer - however, you cannot even access the subway until you have found all five Subway Tokens that are scattered across the level. I like this sort of gameplay, as it forces you to use the entire course to it's full potential, unlike the first one where there were 1 or 2 hotspots you could exploit for huge amounts of points. Suffice to say, Tony Hawk 2 is easily more complex than its ancestor in terms of gameplay. Wall Rides and Transfer multipliers occur with more frequency, and the ability to perform Manuals and Lip Tricks really round out the game for a game that really feels complete. As you progress further into Career Mode, you earn cash which allows you to raise your stats, buy new boards (which increase your secondary stats), as well as buy new tricks for you to use. Each skater is allowed 5 special moves each, but they can be assigned to any movement that the game allows, which is a great feature for those who wish to keep their special moves to the original game's motions.

It's too bad there isn't a way to listen to Tony Hawk's original music, but quite honestly, the new soundtrack really improves on the original ten-fold. There's a lot of variety in the style of each track, ranging from Rage against the Machine to Papa Roach to Powerman 5000 to even the likes of Anthrax and Public Enemy! Whether you love rock or rap, hip-hop or alternative, you'll find at least one track that you'll love in Tony Hawk 2.

Not only does the soundtrack rock, but the many new modes of play that you can access are just great. New to the game are a Create a Player and Park Editor modes, which allow you to (duh!) create skaters and skating parks to your own desire. Although the Create a Skater mode doesn't come with any pre-constructed models, the Park Editor comes with over a dozen of them, each with some amazing designs that you can alter to your hearts content. Both editors are extremely easy to use, and are extremely flexible. With the Park Editor, you have literally dozens of ramps, rails and fun-boxes at your disposal that you can use to create the skate course of your desire. As for me, I was content recreating my two favorite courses, the X-Games Street Course and the Skate Park from the original Tony Hawk Pro Skater. Both were faithfully recreated to my liking, and I'm currently enjoying them a lot.

What's even more astonishing about Tony Hawk 2 is that on top of the Create a Skater and Park Editor Mode along with a completely revamped Career Mode, they've even added more multi player features into the mix. Making a repeat appearance are modes such as Trick Attack, Graffiti and HORSE along with new modes such as Tag and Best Trick, which allows 1 to 8 players to compete against each other in a battle to see who can pull off the craziest tricks. When it comes to true replay value, Tony Hawk 2 is definitely the complete package.

What else can I say about this game, it's a great example of how to do a sequel the right way. Too often you see yearly updates to games (re: Twisted Metal, Cool Boarders) that don't offer all that much from last year's effort. However, with Tony Hawk Pro Skater 2, Neversoft really went all out and listened to its fans. They've added almost everything that people have requested, and honestly, Neversoft has truly outdone themselves this time. Although the game can be a little frustrating for a first time Hawk, that can be the only real wrong done in this title. Go get this, now.

· · · Reno