The Shadowman games follow the exploits of the aforementioned Shadowman, otherwise known as Mike LeRoi. Possesing the Mask of Shadows, Mike has the ability to shift between the realms of the living and the dead at free will. However this ability doesn’t come without its costs, the Shadowman is charged with looking after the denizens of the living world. Like it’s predecessor, Shadowman’s greatest strength is it’s story telling, rooted in Voodoo mythology there is a great feeling that the developers know a thing or two about the African black magik, creating a world that is creepily compelling! <br /> <br /> Fortunately this time around the gameplay is sufficient enough to backup the good presentation values. Like the original, Shadowman: 2econd Coming is a third-person action/adventure, and pits you in a variety of large worlds in your quest to prevent the Grigori – an ancient race of demons who have masqueraded as humans for the last 2,000 years – from awakening their master. Doing this will involve the usual mixture of combat, puzzle solving and exploration. Thankfully the mixture of these gameplay elements have been blended together with more success then in the original. <br /> <br /> Mike changes into Shadowman at night and back again at daybreak, though later in the game you’ll have access to a voodoo chant that allows you to change at your own free will. As such the weapons available to Mike depend on which realm he’s in, however they’re all essentially based on the same weapons -the standard gun becomes a shadowgun in deadside allowing him to take out the undead minions. There are over 20 weapons in total, four of which can be equipped at any given time to the PS2 shoulder buttons. Sounds good so far, unfortunately the implementation isn’t so neat. Ranged weapons lock on to enemies allowing you to easily dispense of them, however grouped enemies provide more trouble as you’re at the mercy of the targeting script which isn’t quick enough, thankfully the pace isn’t too fast so it’s never too much of a problem. On the other hand, melee weapons bring up their own troubles as you can’t target enemies, and end up running around them as you’re furiously trying to hack them down. <br /> <br /> Most of your time will be spent exploring the magnificent levels, fortunately they’re a lot more directed then in the original, but you’ll still find yourself aimlessly wandering around at times thinking what to do next. The puzzles offer some innovative approaches, but mainly boils down to collecting the right item to pass or destroy certain environmental objects, a problem when the solution is never as evident or clear as it should be. <br /> <br /> Visually Shadowman: 2econd Coming is impressive without being amazing thanks to its very distinct style. The visuals are all crisp but lack texture detail, environments are huge expansive affairs, whilst the character models in particular Shadowman look fantastic as his hollow eyes cackle with unholy energy, sinew, bone and flesh hang from his body. The same can be said about most of the characters you’ll come across, but unfortunately the visuals come at a price as long-loading times and framerate issues rear their ugly heads. <br /> <br /> The strongest point and the area that helps to best create the moody atmosphere is the dark and gritty soundtrack. Tense and twisting the music will wind you up in all the right places. The voice-acting is also carried out with the same professional manner, although regrettably Nessie’s sexy accent has been changed. The same praise can’t be paid to the sound effects, sounding tinny and lacking the impact that they should have, unforgivable.