Syphon Filter's balance of an intriguing storyline and thrilling mission-based gameplay rightfully earned the game lots of critical acclaim and a position on the 1999 bestsellers chart. Syphon Filter 2 introduces a new set of objectives requiring smarts, stealth, and a steady aim while running (and kneeling, crouching, walking, rolling, climbing, jumping) through multiple levels.

In the game, players assume the roles of secret agents Gabriel Logan and Lian Xing. Framed for a crime they did not commit, the two must race against the clock in order to prevent the sale of the Syphon Filter virus to a terrorist nation. Played from a third-person point of view, the story takes gamers from the streets of Moscow to the Agency's secret Syphon Filter lab. Such a dangerous mission requires effective weapons and gadgets; naturally, the agency provides an arsenal of more than 25 enemy-stoppers, including a cross bow, a sniper rifle with a night-vision scope, tear gas, binoculars, and other goodies. New to the series is a two-player, split-screen mode featuring fast head-to-head combat action in 20 arenas. --Eric Twelker