LIKE a good novel, Stalker: Clear Sky is hard to fathom at first, but deeply satisfying for those who get past the initial difficulties.
In this prequel to the original Stalker game brought out last year, you play a mercenary called Scar, one of many who roam the nuclear wasteland that is the aftermath of the Chernobyl disaster.
Your goal? To find out your past (you start the game being knocked out by one of the anomalies, or emissions, that occur in the Zone) and to join the fight for or against the many factions scavenging for artefacts in the grim landscape.
You'll likely start off dying a few times, wondering how to survive the simple act of walking through a place brimming with radiation. Once you learn, for instance, that you must avoid walking into dangerous areas and use lots of medical kits, you are quickly drawn into the story.
If you played the original Stalker: Shadow Of Chernobyl, this prequel will delight you once more with its open game play and vast, haunting landscape.
There's a general storyline that you must advance along, but how you do so is often up to you.
For example, you may be defending a strong point for one faction, when you are suddenly called away to clear a road nearby for friendlies.
All this happens in real-time, so you look at a map on your in-game PDA to decide what to do.
Do you help an outpost fend off packs of hungry dogs or do you head back to camp to collect your reward for a mission completed? It's up to you.
The game also succeeds in its realism.
As you travel over the sprawling hills, talk to comrades and fight it out for territory, you'll notice time passing by simply watching the sky darken or grow brighter.
Once, after a battle at dusk, I found myself traversing the dark, lonely landscape, interrupted only by a rusting truck or eerie campfire in the distance. The sombre mood is one of the best you'll find in this genre.
It helps that the graphics have been revved up; it makes the environment, from a flickering lamp inside a room to the rustling leaves in the countryside, believable.
But Clear Sky can be better. The weapons, for one, seem a little underwhelming. With the exception of the shotgun, they sound more like air guns than the real thing.
What's also annoying is that enemies, which range from fellow stalkers in the zone to dogs and mutants, are sometimes too hard to kill.
At times, the game plays out more languidly like a role-playing game that requires you to talk to characters with flat voices.
If you want all-out action, something like Crisis Warhead or Far Cry 2 would fit the bill better. But if you have some patience, Stalker: Clear Sky is a rewarding experience.
Cheat sheet
This may seem obvious but when you are operating in a place like Chernobyl, remember to keep lots of medical kits on you.
Often, they are the difference between survival and death in the wasteland. Pick these up from fallen comrades or enemies you kill.
It also helps to play the coward. Instead of running in and trying to take over a building, hang back behind a tree, bring out your on-screen PDA and see where friendlies are headed. If they are already on the way, just wait for the reinforcements to arrive.
Storming in alone, especially against a well-fortified enemy, usually ends in your death and having to restart the game.
Finally, remember to upgrade your weapons whenever you have the chance. Unlike many shooters out there, the enemies in Stalker: Clear Sky can take a lot of punishment before going down.
The first upgrade, depending on the amount of cash you have, is to improve a weapon's accuracy. This is especially handy for shotguns and rifles. It ensures that rounds hit the enemy more easily.
This article was first published in Digital Life, The Straits Times on Oct 15, 2008.
