It's been a while since a game has pulled me in this quickly and so deeply. And it has nothing to do with a former South African Defence Force mercenary calling me a "poepol"...

The single most important factor that makes 'Far Cry 2' such a joy to play, is the sheer immersiveness of the environments. Set in a war-torn African country, the lush jungles give way to rolling grasslands and deserts in a free-roam world that is alive and breathing through every pore of its beautiful pixelled being.

The gently swaying trees and grass, the red colour of the earth, the background sounds of guinea fowls and doves hollering at each other in the brush, and the perfectly rendered landscapes makes the world of 'Far Cry 2' easily one of the most enthralling ones to hit a computer screen yet.

Visuals and sound is not the most important parts of a game, but when you take into consideration that much of 'Far Cry 2' is spent traversing its sizeable environment, then gazing at a sunset bursting through clouds over a lush landscape certainly smoothes the ride.

This is not to say that there is little action to be found — you can easily find trouble if you're in the mood (try stealing diamonds from one of the warring factions' headquarters — it's not going to go too well with you...) but there will be ample time spent driving your Landy on dirt roads, or cruising down a river in a boat, and even some flying to be had.

But combat is still what it's all about and 'Far Cry 2' is certainly focussed on that. It manages to bring enough realism into the mix to make the game challenging in interesting ways. An example is when you pick up a weapon dropped by an enemy, then it will often jam up when you use it due to having been out in the open for so long without being cleaned. A weapon bought at an arms dealer, however, is of much higher quality.

'Far Cry 2' is full of these little gems. Your currency is rough diamonds and when you go hunting for diamonds you'll often discover gems (no pun intended) in unexpected places.

If there's anything to complain about, then it's the story — or rather, the lack thereof. It's as thin as a dictator's love for his people, but then it doesn't really matter. The joy that one derive from playing this game is in the depth of things to discover — both in combat and in the world it's set in.

As I alluded to earlier, of particular interest to South Africans will be the voice acting. Coming up against a mercenary with a moustache that swears at you in Afrikaans, is an experience that will have us rolling on the ground in a fit of laughter. It's a testimony to the level of research that the developers put into this game to offer a well-rounded, superbly produced game.

With first-person shooter games these days, you need to have a strong multiplayer offering too. In 'Far Cry 2', you can create your own maps with the supplied map editor that comes with the game. The chance to battle it out against 16 other players also brings extra legs to this mode.

If it wasn't for the fact that 'Far Cry 2' has been released at roughly the same time as something like 'Gears of War 2', 'Fallout 3' and 'Fable II', I would strongly suggest that this is the only game you need to get this holiday season. But get it, you most certainly should.

9/10