"A great game, but not for everyone."

Let me start out by saying that this game is NOT FOR EVERYONE. Only a select group of people will most likely get something out of this game. I, personally enjoyed this game a lot, and it was a welcome change from the mainstream games out at the time.

Story- I will say one thing first about the story. PLAY THE FIRST GAME BEFORE THIS ONE! If you don't know what happened in the origional cyberia, then you won't have a clue in this, because it literally starts you the very second the first game ends. The plot revolves around Zak. A hacker that got himself into some big trouble, and by the time this game starts, he is mixed up in a rebel group trying to stop the spread of a virus. Not the most origional plot, but it moves very quickly, and you will never be bored. As soon as you finish a level, the story moves right along, in fact, sometimes a little too fast. You really need to think fast and watch each cutscene carefully to get the full plot. An overall good plot.

Graphics- This game came out in 1995, so don't expect phenomenal graphics. They are, however, very nice, and extremely good for their time. Although they are not as good as todays games, don't let it discourage you. The graphics are still nice, and not a big factor in the game anyway.

Gameplay- The gameplay is where this game seperates itself from many other games. There are 2 major different modes of play. One mode, is when you are free to move around. This is done with a node system. For example: You are standing in a hallway. Press forward to move forward to the next ''node''. When you reach a point, your character will stop. From there, you can look around, and choose you next direction. One big improvement from the origional is that you can now duck, jump, and shoot while your character walks. The other major mode is the action mode. Your character moves, drives or flies on his own, and you simply use the mouse to aim a target and fire at will. Some people may be disapointed in the lack of complexity here, but it's really fun, and it makes it so you can't get lost. Along the way, you will encounter puzzles, which vary in difficulty. Overall, the difficulty of the puzzles is MUCH lower than the origional, with a few exeptions. The only real complaint that I have is the length. I beat the game in a day on easy, but then again, I still havn't beaten hard mode.

Sound and music- The music is pretty forgettable (I'm not sure if there was any) but the sound effects are great, and every character has a voice actor that does a pretty good job. Overall, the sound is good where it should be.

Bottom Line- If you happen to stumble across this game, then it's worth the 8$(that I payed for it). Science fiction lovers will like the plot, if they played the first one. The simple gameplay may deterre some people, but if you can accept the shortcomings, and you liked the first one, then this is the game for you.

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 01/07/02, Updated 01/07/02