Famed for its Tony Hawk-endorsed Pro Skater games, developer Neversoft has earned itself a solid reputation in the virtual world of extreme sports. Pro Skater 2 and 3 both demonstrated improvement over the original, with very few underlying glitches, stunning level design and a fluid play mechanic. However, the release of Underground was the first in the series to offer something notably different – a story-driven, mission-based skating game that, for the first time, saw players completing challenges not just on boards, but on foot as well. Underground 2 is very much the same, but it also expands on its immediate predecessor, and even revisits the objective-driven gameplay of the first three games. The main single-player game this time around sees two teams of skaters, Team Hawk and Team Bam, competing in the World Destruction Tour, a no-rules road trip that pits groups of world-class skaters, all of which are playable, against one another. As with the first Underground game, this skating adventure affords players an unprecedented level of customisation and a comprehensive library of grinds, manual and special tricks. Skating acrobats can now take advantage of projectiles, vehicles and a new Focus Control element. Off the board, players can interact with any number of hip NPCs, as well as partake in a graffiti-em-up mode that has players decorating the game’s 15 levels with their own designs and custom tags. There are obvious Jet Set Radio influences, but its fun nevertheless. Alternatively, those particularly fond of the first three instalments can go old-school in Underground 2’s Classic Mode, a game that sees a return to goal-based skating and that has players collecting S-K-A-T-E letters, finding secret tapes and beating sick scores against a two-minute countdown. The multiplier score system remains intact, as does ability to link moves together through a simple ‘revert’ trick. It’s a game of pure skill. With 20 special guest skaters, improved player control, story-driven gameplay and a much-loved and respected game engine, Tony Hawk’s Underground 2 takes the best of earlier games in the series and uses it to create a brand new, captivating and complete chapter to the Neversoft series.