Your eyes flick open and you're floating in an automised treatment tank. To your left and right, other treatment tanks, inside of which bob the swollen corpses of those you do not know. On the medical bay floor lay scattered droid parts, medical equipment laid to waste, and the bodies of dozens of Republic soldiers. You have no clothing, no companions, no weaponry, and the ship you are on is tumbling through the blackness of space, crippled and belching out power cells. You are the last known Jedi Knight, and this is, by all accounts, your last hour alive.

Expect no mysterious realisation of your Force powers as in Knights Of The Old Republic, there will be no Jedi training at the peaceful Dantoonie academy, and there most certainly is not a merry band of outer space misfits eager to join you on your romp through the stars. You are alone and frightened for the vast majority of the beginning of Knights Of The Old Republic II, and that is exactly how it wants you. For a sequel to such a classic title, it was almost expected that the follow-up would 'do' an Empire Strikes Back. Well, it not so much 'does' an Empire Strikes Back, as 'out does' it. If you want dark side fury and hopelessness for all that is good in the galaxy, Knights Of The Old Republic II's got it in spades.

Beginning the game as you do (in a pair of pants with the entire Sith on your back), the natural instinct is to equip yourself with a lightsaber as soon as possible, but this, as with so much else in Knights Of The Old Republic I, is something you must pay for in blood and sweat. Nothing is a given in The Sith Lords, and this includes your not-so-merry band. For the first few hours of play (four or five without subquests, touching double figures with), there is nothing to do but run. The hunt is on and you'll find yourself making desperate, frantic dashes across many worlds to escape the Sith's clutches. Initially there is no choice of destination (unlike the original), for the first hours are desperate times that see you lunging from one stay of execution to the next while you try and piece together what the hell is happening.

You will be worn, beaten and humiliated by the time the pursuit eases a little. You'll resent the game for making you suffer hours of relentless, seemingly hopeless fleeing, but trust us, you'll appreciate it. Obsidian's decision to make you defenceless for so long was a risk, but the moment you cobble together your first makeshift 'saber it's like rediscovering what made Knights Of The Old Republic so great in the first place.

And from then on in, you're armed almost well enough to start investigating this most devious and delicious of stories. "I am your father" doesn't even come close. By the time you finally knock together your lightsaber you'll have met and worked with several new companions from across the galaxy. Unlike the cock-sure Mission and Wookiee pal Zalbaar, or cantankerous but loveable gramp Jolee Bindo, this new bunch are far from affable. Each has an agenda and seems to be helping you only because it suits them, not because they are particularly beheld to you. This causes friction within the group, which, naturally, you're left to resolve. The implementation of potentially volatile 'side taking' within the party is just the first of many new, interwoven elements of Knights Of The Old Republic.

Depending on how long you listen to someone, or how often you heed their advice, their opinion of you will rise or fall, as will their Force alignment. Others in the party who disagree with your actions (light or dark) will then cease to offer help, so there is potential for your team, the people you'll rely on to save your life, to implode from within. As well as saving the galaxy it seems a Jedi must be trained in the art of family counselling too. The seemingly obvious answer to this is to go around doing the right thing, but as Kreia, the Obi-Wan of the piece, points out, simply doing the right thing is no longer adequate. Through the new Force Bond you can see, via Kreia's telepathy, the consequences of your actions. You may give a beggar credits, but then to witness him murdered for them makes you question and second guess everything you're asked to do. There are deep, entangled machinations at work, and every consequence, be it the smallest gesture, directly affects your team's fate. Trying to be good can, from a certain point of view, lead to the dark side.

As the mystery of Knights Of The Old Republic II slowly unravels, so does the galaxy. Eventually, the free-roaming planet-hopping of Knights Of The Old Republic comes back into play, but don't think for one minute we're going to tell you why. Suffice to say, it's something far graver and more complex than piecing together parts of a star map.

Carth Onasi's home planet Telos makes an appearance, as does Jedi academy planet Dantooine. New planet Onderon and its moon Dxun, mining planet Peragus, Sith homeworld Korriban, refugee world Nar Shaddaa and the Mandalorian world of Malachor V all make for good exploration. Each is swollen with adventure, but it would've been nice to have visited at least one familiar planet from the films. The mere appearance of Tatooine in the first game gave it a grounding and familiarity and, while Knights Of The Old Republic has always seemed to pride itself on being unique from the movies, the lack of movie locations this time makes the galaxy seem more distant and unwelcoming. The planets lack Knights Of The Old Republic's awe and splendour, and aren't as visually arresting. These are bleak, uninviting places that all have more than a touch of the dark side about them. Whether it works or not is a matter of conjecture but maybe it's just another bold move to reflect the game's tone.

On each world there is a goal to be met by way of subquests and chatter much like in Knights Of The Old Republic, but the dialogue has been streamlined considerably, allowing more time for those panicked, breathless escapes and battles that threaten to overwhelm you at every moment. This also serves to make Darth Sion, Darth Nihilus, shadowy antagonists and 'other' Darths far more of an enigma than Malak ever was. Whereas some indication of Malak's motives and weakness were hinted at, this time there are none. You cannot train in any specific discipline in the hope it'll be the one you think will serve you in the final conflict because you simply don't know the shape of the threat. The best you can hope is to avoid Sith detection and make the best of your gifts. There are a few new ones, but still caution is recommended. Just because a glut of chokes and mind controls have been introduced doesn't mean your task will be any easier.

Force Scream, Force Revitalise, Beast Control and Battle Meditation seem to have the greatest impact, but the learned physical attributes really pack a wallop. When you're on your way to becoming a fully fledged Force-user, moves blaze from your body.

You'll scream through the air towards an opponent on the other side of the room and strike them down before they've even raised arms. The air will crackle as you unleash volley after volley of hits and, thanks to the vastly improved work benches, just about everything you possess can be modified. New lightsaber crystals add colours and attributes; old weapons can be stripped of their component parts and remade into grenades, mines or upgrades.

Chemicals and compounds can be conjured on lab benches to create new medipacs or antidotes, just as you can now imbue your 'saber with its own Force alignment. Whatever you do, it does. If you're focused and wise, its strike will be sure; if you're quick to anger, the hit ratio will fluctuate wildly.

Despite the handy, but not necessarily vital peripheral differences of Force powers and upgraded attacks, the core of Knights Of The Old Republic II is still BioWare's engine and game structure. Obsidian has added new feats but more would've been welcome. The Jedi body models didn't all have to be human, did they? And fully customisable faces should be a prerequisite these days, but aren't included. But what Obsidian has done is wise. It's realised that the strength of this fledgling series lies not so much in gadgets and gizmos, but in the plot and its telling.

Extras in Knights Of The Old Republic II are just about adequate, and the return of time-wasters like Swoop Racing and Pazaak are okay, but it's the story that's the clincher. It doesn't have the spectacle or rip-roaring adventure of Knights Of The Old Republic, but what it lacks in dazzling planets and invention is more than compensated for by the undeniably superior story. The war you fight this time is a war against unseen enemies and unsure consequences. It is a war of shadow and silence that strikes at you from the darkness, and from that confused awakening in the automised treatment tank to the final wrenching, sucker-punch twist, you'll be totally and utterly mesmerised. An equal to Knights Of The Old Republic's might.

1. Immensely involving and far darker story easily eclipses Knights Of The Old Republic's. If you thought that twist was good, you ain't seen nothing yet.
2. The influence you have over your team's allegiance to either side is a masterstroke. Be doubly cautious or suffer horrendous consequences.
3. A smattering of new powers and weapon upgrades may upset a few hardcore fans. A few more wouldn't have gone amiss.
4. The helplessness and powerlessness of your character in the first portion of the game is ingenious. It will upset many, but it's inspired.
5. All new planets make for great exploration and, as always, there's plenty to do, but one from a movie next time please, guys!

Incredible. It takes all that was good from Knights Of The Old Republic, places it in a far more oppressive place, then throws you in to deal with it.