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The Ghosts ride again

Poor Capt. Scott Mitchell.

With barely enough time to kick the mud off his boots after the first revolutionary “Ghost Recon: Advanced Warfighter” campaign, our hero finds himself immediately dumped headlong into danger again in “Ghost Recon: Advanced Warfighter 2.”

Still in Mexico, still fighting to save the universe, Mitchell’s efforts to foil a coup attempt last time around are overshadowed by a new threat: renegade nukes in the hands of Latin American rebels bent on striking Americans where they live.

No one said saving the world was easy. Just ask Jack Bauer, the king of longest-days-ever.

And so it is that Mitchell must again take to the field, armed with ferocious firepower and plenty of tactical toys. Among them is the Cross-Com battlefield communications network, which devotees of last year’s runaway hit will remember fondly.

Didn’t play the first one? Feel free to start with the sequel, which somehow manages to take a good thing and make it better. Like supersizing your fries.

The Cross-Com is a computerized intel network that feeds data to the user through a small eyepiece, giving players a variety of information in little on-screen windows. This comes in particularly handy when HQ has some scoop or you need to sneak a peek from the vantage point of a squadmate or unmanned aerial vehicle. New to the sequel are small unmanned ground vehicles carrying ammo and supplies, which can come in handy if used correctly.

Players generally have a team of three soldiers to help them close with and destroy the enemy, including a new medic who can heal you and your teammates more than a half-dozen times (making the single-player campaign easier this time around, for sure). Deciding which soldiers to take along on each mission is a product of trial and error, but mostly they all do fine against the plodding enemy troops — who are smarter in the sequel, but just barely so.

Still played from the third-person perspective — as if you are looking over Mitchell’s shoulder — the sequel builds on the amazing graphics of the original by adding new lighting effects, billowing smoke and realistic weather conditions. You’ll see the haze shimmer off the barrel of a hot minigun and actually “feel” time progress as the sun moves across the sky and sets on the horizon.

The terrain is lifelike and well-rendered, and the realism is almost breathtaking at times. Stray dogs run across the road, and shop awnings billow in the wind. Though violent and brutal, with exploding cars and bloody headshots, events never veer into unacceptable territory, as the shooter manages to stay within the confines of its “T for Teen” rating without sacrificing authenticity.

Hardcore fans of the original might complain that the new features and graphics only serve to streamline the previous game, and that the new offering is little more than an extension of the first. Considering that this sequel comes less than a year after that initial release, it’s hard to expect much more from the game’s developers. At least they’re pushing out something, even if it is more of the same ol’ been-there-before goodness.

Ultimately, if you never played the original, now’s a great time to get to know the Ghosts. If you’re already a die-hard fan, the added tweaks are a lot like getting ice cream with your pie.

And if you played the original and hated it — how is that even possible? — save your money. The “Ghost Recon” developers already reinvented the wheel once.

Ghost Recon: Advanced Warfighter 2. 4.5 stars. Xbox 360. $59.99. Rated “T” for Teen.