Things have been toned down a little for this expansion pack to Battlefield 2, 2005's most frantic and enjoyable online first person shooter. The big battlegrounds are replaced by slightly smaller maps, the number of vehicles has been reduced and things have become a lot darker. This is because the emphasis for Battlefield 2: Special Forces has been put primarily on guerrilla warfare, pitting various commando units such as the British SAS, American Navy SEALs, Russian Spetsnaz, MEC Special Forces, Rebels and Insurgents against one another in smaller, sneakier skirmishes.

Don't expect Rainbow Six however - just because you can play as one of the world's most elite soldiers doesn't mean you are burdened with the complex decision making often needed by these military units; this is still very much a Battlefield game, with the fast paced gameplay fully intact, although returning Battlefield veterans may find that Special Forces does provide a slightly different experience in certain areas.

Vehicles for one are considerably reduced in both their number and effectiveness. It is still possible to get caught up in large scale vehicular combat though, but with battlegrounds designed to benefit individual soldiers and many of the new maps now set in the dark, reducing visibility, such large scale battles are rarer. Here it's all about the man on the ground as opposed to the tank or helicopter; the soldiers are the main focus of this expansion and they also benefit from the most substantial of additions.

As well as the inclusion of a few new weapons, each of the existing classes now gets a new piece of equipment that varies in its usefulness. They are class specific however, so while the Special Forces and Sniper class are able to use the Zip Line, the Assault and Anti-Tank class cannot, although they do get to use a Grappling Hook instead. The Support class gets to use Teargas, while the Assault boys also generously get given the use of Flashbangs. Only the Medics and Engineers are left out, with no new additions to their arsenal.

That is save for night vision, which is a piece of kit that's given to all classes and comes in particularly useful in night time maps, where lighting barely makes the surroundings visible. Things are now much sneakier, as squads and troops have to rely on this piece of equipment to get the upper hand on the enemy. Ambushing is far easier, as players now use their surrounds much more effectively, while the Spec. Ops and Engineer class can make easy prey of vehicles, which have a much more difficult time spotting mines or explosives placed in their path. Vehicles where never as dominating in Battlefield 2 as they have been in other Battlefield games, but here they're practically hunted down and mercilessly destroyed by much better equipped soldiers who can now avoid vehicular slaughter all the more easily.

This night vision does have one substantial problem however, other than the continuous green glare; it's run by a battery, and after a while of constant use, the night vision simply switches off to recharge. While it's understandable why such a feature would be used in a single player game where the constant threat of being killed is lessened, for an online shooter such as Battlefield, having such an important piece of equipment periodically turn off really does mean the difference between life or death. It's an odd move to include a feature like this in a game like Battlefield 2, although the chances are good that you'll probably not live long enough for it to affect you anyway!

Another item that's given to all classes is the gas mask, only really coming into use when the Support class fires off their teargas. Fail to get it on in time when they do and your vision will become blurred in the thick toxic cloud that forms, bad news for you and anyone else caught in the middle, good news for the support man, as he can use the distraction as a means of escape, or better yet as an ambush. Flashbangs, while perhaps one of the least exciting additions to this new selection of toys does prove it's worth where it counts; the blinding effects are always handy, but it's not until those night time maps appear that you really appreciate its effect. Night vision really doesn't like it; using a flashbang on anyone who has night vision activated severely cripples them, as the blinding effects are more potent than if they had nothing covering their eyes. Again, like the support class and their teargas, flashbangs can be used to great advantage.

Of the equipment included, the grappling hook and zip line are perhaps the most exciting and fun to use. With the grappling hook, gaining access to greater heights is now a lot easier; it also removes the one advantage many snipers had when they often placed a claymore mine at the only entrance to whatever building they may have occupied. Not only does it mean that snipers have fewer safe places to hide, it also allows anyone to effectively set up ambushes or get into decent gunning positions overlooking the enemy. It's not a tool to be cocky with though, as the very rope you can use to climb to the tops of buildings can be used by anyone who happens to pass by, including the enemy.

Although at a greater disadvantage, snipers can easily escape the unwanted attention of a would-be assassin. Zip lines are undoubtedly the most enjoyable and popular of the Special Forces additions. Shot off by a crossbow, they can be used to abseil down to lower levels, either to get away from a position being overrun by advancing enemy forces, or alternatively to move entire squads from one area of the map to the next. See a battle that's not looking good for your teammates? No problem - set up a zip line, cruise down and join the fight; the bemused enemy soldiers won't know what's hit them. Better yet, if you need a flag position nearby, then call on the help of an entire squad and get them to zip down to a building overlooking the vital position. The range of tactical possibilities from this item alone more than makes up for the lack of vehicular support shown elsewhere.

Vehicles haven't been completely ignored though; eight have been included in Special Forces, ranging from the rather humdrum inclusions of yet another APC and missile shooting variant of the HMMVW, to the slightly more useful types, such as a brand new attack helicopter (though many will be pleased to know that it doesn't feature as prominently as the helicopters in Battlefield 2 and doesn't quite have the dominating force thanks to the new night time maps), while being a Battlefield game, the expansion also manages to throw a few oddities as well.

The desert raider being one; a truly monstrous looking 4x4 that can hold up to three passengers, each of whom can use a mounted machine gun, turning it into a four wheel drive tank without the cannon. This huge hulking beast of a machine can be quite an effective fast attack vehicle, although it does stick out like a sore thumb and makes easy prey for a skilled Anti-Tank soldier. The ATV on the other hand is a tiny, unarmed but extremely fast vehicle that's only really useful for transporting you from one part of the map to the other. However, given it' size and speed, it'll surely soon become a favourite amongst those who like to perform insane stunts. The Jet Ski, the only maritime addition, is much the same as the ATV but on water, and is just as useless in a combat situation.

The lack of any proper vehicle support makes this expansion feel like less of a Battlefield game and more of a traditional online shooter. While it's disappointing to see the scale of the game reduced, the efforts put into the often underdeveloped side of troop combat more than makes up for this. However, anyone hoping for Special Forces to fix some of the technical problems that still plague Battlefield 2 will be disappointed.

Although a number of rather large patches has sorted many of the problems that the game was originally released with, a few still remain. The most troublesome and infuriating is the game's shoddy server browser. While certain missing features, such as the ability to actually save favourites, have finally been added through months of patching, it's still a painfully slow system that takes so long to load that by the time the entire list has been refreshed, it's already outdated. Even when you do get a server, you then still have to contend with the slow loading as you enter a game. Both of these loading issues hurt the pick up and play value of the game; it's not exactly something you can just boot up, join in and get going with.

Hardcore military types will also be disappointed to know that the rewards system, as well as providing no new rewards, resets for this expansion. While the stats you have for Battlefield 2 remain unchanged, you will still have to go through the trouble of gathering numerous points to gain ranks in order to once again unlock new weapons. Thankfully, whatever medals and ribbons you may have won with Battlefield 2 remain intact and on display.

Battlefield 2: Special Forces is a decent enough expansion that's worthy enough of the Battlefield name, while at the same time providing a different enough experience to avoid an overly familiar feeling. Those looking for an increase in vehicular combat and greater attention paid to the less developed sides of the game such as sea warfare will find little comfort here. But the majority will doubtfully find that a great loss, as with a better arsenal of weapons, a few interesting new maps and numerous possibilities to develop new tactics, it's an expansion that instead of tacking on a few bells and whistles, actually adds to the experience of the original, something that all expansion packs should aim for.

Reviewed by Kieron Giacopazzi for AceGamez (All Rights Reserved).