PS2; £39.99; Capcom; www.capcom.com

By Richard Bell

FOR those not familiar with the game that wrote the ‘survival horror’ rulebook, here’s a very brief re-cap.

Sinister Umbrella Corp creates the T-Virus bio-weapon. T-Virus escapes into their underground lab. Infected workers become zombies, munch on everyone not a zombie, then go hunting above ground for fresh flesh.

This is where you come in.

Once again the game is a gripping blend of nervous exploration and sudden bursts of frantic action as you bid to save others, solve puzzles, kill creeps and get out of Raccoon City with most of your skin free from bite marks.

Oh, and did I mention that if you don’t get out in time, best look out for falling nukes dropped to ‘cleanse’ the infected area?

Fans of the original Outbreak were treated to beautifully detailed environments, involving plot, crafty conundrums, sinister sounds, moody music, seamless cut scenes and spine-tingling tension, and File 2 recruits get more of the same.

Players join the eight characters from the first game in all-new terrifying scenarios, with assorted locales, new enemies and further details of the truth behind the catastrophic events.

There’s Kevin, a Raccoon City police officer, who’s handy with a gun.

George is a doctor skilled at mixing medicines, Yoko’s a woman shrouded in mystery who’s good at carrying things, Mark, a Vietnam vet, has high defensive capabilities, while Cindy, a waitress, has a case which can carry objects such as herbs.

David’s a plumber, with a knack of combining items to create new weapons, Jim’s a railway worker, adept at solving puzzles and, finally, Alyssa, a reporter, is a dab hand at picking locks.

Players can experience some collective fear with up to four others in network mode, or one-player offline accompanied by two computer AI characters.

As previously, the key to survival lies in co-operating with and helping fellow characters as they fight to survive.

Set over five new scenarios, which include a zoo, subway and police station, each offers a fresh set of challenges.

Now there are more unexpected twists and turns, new challenges, never-before-seen-enemies, multiple options for progressing through levels, random placement of enemies that changes players’ experiences and the ability to use ordinary items as weapons.

Other tweaks regard the characters themselves. Mark, for example, can now move his weapon vertically as well as horizontally, while Cindy is able to duck to evade attacks. Also, all characters can now aim and fire on an enemy while moving.

The most obvious advancement is presentation. Here the real-time environments are beautifully rendered and actually more as you walk into them.

VERDICT: In reality more of an ‘expansion pack’ rather than a new game, File #2 has enough surprises and new features to make it appeal to fans of the series.

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By George Wright

I WAS a wee bit sceptical when this game arrived in the Activate postbag. The idea was good — golf in the comfort of your home rather than trudging round a sodden coarse on a rainy day — but being hooked up to a controller contraption sounded a bit of a bind.

However, although wires connect you from your wrists to a floor-based unit, you soon forget they’re there and they don’t hamper your fairway fun.

The big difference between this and other golf games is its motion tracking system. Driven deep into the rough is the conventional thumb-control with analogue sticks, replaced by a tidy piece of kit which allows you to practise and perfect your real swing, as you drive, chip and putt your way round any of the game’s six 18-hole courses.

The game is quick and easy to set up and, after donning your ‘golfing gloves’ and following on-screen prompts to calibrate your stance over the floor unit, you’re ready to swing into action.

Listen up as popular golf commentator Peter Alliss describes the layout of each hole, then select your club and step up to the ‘tee’, where you’ll see your swing mirrored on-screen in real-time.

Play as if you’re out on the course then see how your shot performs on your TV. You can then adjust your swing to pitch or add fade or spin to the ball — just like the real game. Earn praise if you do well and if, like me, you’re swing’s not the greatest, get on-screen tips on where you’re going wrong.

The bundle comes complete with game, Gametrak unit, Trak-gloves and a mini-club. You feel strange at first using the dummy club, but, unless you have a spacious room to swing a real club, it does the job and saves you having to make a claim on your contents insurance.

As well as 108 holes, the game also offers tutorials to help improve grip, swing and stance, as well as pitching in with a driving range option and mini-games including darts, target golf, and car smashing. There’s also a multi-player mode allowing up to four people to play.

VERDICT: Something different and good fun.

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