Stalker: Clear Sky

Let's not beat around the bush: Stalker, Shadow of Chernobyl was not perfect. It was rough around the edges and inaccessible - obviously compromised in development. But it had more scope and ambition than any other shooter of the last year: the RPG elements of Deus Ex combined with the free roaming of Far Cry, and topped off with the post-commie setting of Half-Life 2. And it was scary as hell.

Clear Sky aims to fix some of Shadow of Chernobyl 's mistakes. Gone is the fiddly inventory system, replaced by a far more user-friendly interface. The graphics have also been improved: Shadow of Chernobyl's slightly ropey appearance is now turned-up-to-11 DirectX 10 stunning. And it looks very impressive - rain water trickles down vertical surfaces during a shower, smoke realistically drifts out of vents, and it actually gets dark at night.

The Story

Set a year before the events of Shadow of Chernobyl, the game follows Scar, a new protagonist, as he makes his way into the irradiated area. The game will feature half original levels and half new levels. Strelok, who set off the reaction that caused the metaphysical weirdness in Shadow of Chernobyl will make an appearance, although how and when remains unanswered.

Oleg Yavorsky, of Kiev-based developers GSC Game World, says that they've only just begun to develop the game world that they originally envisaged for the first title. Clear Sky even includes a bird-shooting mini-game, in which you compete against other factions to kill the most birds. Greenpeace must hate them.