The first Stuntman, released on PS2 five years ago, was an enjoyably challenging experience for those who could stick with its unforgiving difficulty and forced repetition. For many though, the inherently repetitive nature of the gameplay was a little too much to take. Beyond the game mechanics encouraging repeated play and an ambition to achieve perfection, the somewhat unforgiving margin for error left many a gamer disillusioned with an otherwise universally appealing game. After the lukewarm reviews for the original, it seemed that Atari lost interest in the concept, with no sign of a sequel on the horizon, suggesting an end to the series before it really began. Luckily, in stepped THQ, acquiring the rights to the game and passing development duties onto Paradigm.

From the off, it's clear that Paradigm decided the basic game structure of the original Stuntman was already good enough not to warrant a complete overhaul. On the surface, this is very much the nex-gen update of the first Stuntman, rather than an all-new take on the Reflections-developed original. Instead of building a completely new engine from scratch, Paradigm have instead taken what was a solid enough game engine, added to it, polished it and generally ironed out all those annoying niggles that strived to ruin an otherwise fun and addictive gaming experience. So, for anyone who played the original, this is all going to feel very familiar.

There is no doubt about it - if you enjoyed Stuntman, your going to enjoy Stuntman: Ignition. Don't be fooled, this is the same game, just with a fair degree of polish and the benefit of an abundance of well-publicised feedback. For those who didn't enjoy the game first time around though, well, that's another matter. Although many of the game's bugs have been ironed out and the stringent requirements for each race reduced to a more acceptable level, at the end of the day this is still the same old game, asking for perseverance and repetition at every turn. So, if it wasn't your idea of fun first time around then it probably won't be second time either.

The main bulk of the game is split into six different movie sets, each one having six specific sequences to complete and master. Although that is thirty-six scenes all in all, these can be completed in a fairly short period of time. However, it's going back, getting those high scores and attaining a perfectly strung together sequence that is likely to keep you glued to the control pad for hours on end. This is once again where the game will split opinion down the middle. If you are the type to thrash through games while never looking back then you might as well give this a miss. If however, you are the kind who strives for perfection, who will keep battling away at that high score chart for hours on end, then you are in for quite the addictive little treat.

This Career mode puts you in the position of an anonymous stuntman. Of course, it's all about starting at the bottom and working your way to the top. In honesty though, due to the nature of the game, you're unlikely to take much notice of the rather silly little plot. It's of little importance and is used primarily as a way of getting you from one film to the next and an excuse to meet an array of clichéd yet surprisingly funny characters along the way. The directors are worthy of special note for their exaggerated resemblance of their real life counterparts. The actual film sets are also surprisingly fun too, with each one successfully parodying well-known genre films such as Batman, James Bond and Dante's Peak (well, that or Volcano anyway).

As already stated, throughout each of these six movie parodies you are tasked with attaining as high a score as possible within each of the six sequences. Compared to the original Stuntman, the requirements to pass the stage and move onto the next have become a lot less harsh. The directors are a lot more lenient this time around and, short of a disaster, will let you finish your run, especially when it comes to the earlier sequences. It is touches such as these that make Ignition an infinitely less frustrating beast than its PS2 predecessor. If you want, you can plough through the game with relatively little fuss, which opens up all the levels, thus allowing you to ease your way into the addictive nature of perfecting scores and chains rather than having it forced upon you as it was in the original. It's a small difference on the surface, but it actually makes a huge difference to the experience as a whole.

Although the directors are a lot more lenient this time out, there is still a great deal of trial and error to the gameplay when you begin. While stunts are up on-screen via large yellow icons, with the stunt co-ordinator also informing you of what is expected next, actually pulling them off in time and with the degree of accuracy needed proves to be beyond even the most lightning quick of gamers first time around. There is simply too much going on and far too little warning as to what is around the next corner for you to have any real chance of completing the course without using up your five strikes; you are given a strike each time you miss a stunt, and after you miss five your sequence is cut. This is the basis for the early challenge of the game, but as you retry each course it becomes little more than an indicator to whether you have missed anything in your struggle for that elusive five-star rating.

With the game demanding such exacting requirements, it's a good thing that the driving mechanics are nearly spot on. Just off the point of realism, the steering of all vehicles allows for enough control at all times to successfully navigate the stunts, yet also giving you the capability to swing your vehicle through drifts and handbrake turns with relative ease. The only black spot comes when riding motorcycles; although they generally handle as well as their four-wheeled counterparts, it's a bit too easy to come crashing off them, given the mayhem presented on screen at every turn. This is a minor gripe however, as for the most part the vehicles are an absolute joy. Not once will you find yourself bemoaning the controls. For this reason more than any other, no matter how challenging the game gets, it never feels unfair. If you don't nail a stunt, you accept it was because of your mistake.

Although there is a huge amount of on-screen action to contend with - something that will grate for the first few attempts of any sequence - once you get into the flow of the game, you will come to realise just how much these spectacular events bring to the experience. Although the prospect of pulling off one of the many required stunts, such as jumps, driving on two wheels, power-slides or crashing through barriers, sounds like fun on its own, when you consider that you will be performing these stunts while the world literally falls down around you, you get an idea of just how exciting and rewarding this game can be. On top of this, there is the matter of the action button. This is used at specific points within a sequence and is context sensitive to the situation and the vehicle you are driving. Using the action button at the correct time can lead to the shooting down of helicopters using your car's missile launchers or send your vehicle flying through the air with a giant, end of scene explosion. Needless to say, this brings another welcome twist to the gameplay and raises the chaotic nature of the sequences to even greater heights. Believe me, although Stuntman: Ignition is a repetitive game, it's one that repays your considerable effort back in spades. There is nothing quite like replaying your sequence and seeing your vehicle avoid disaster by mere inches at every turn. Due to the game requiring a great degree of concentration while you're actually playing, it seems even more unbelievable when you replay your actions and see them in the context of the movie sequence. It is a real shame here then that the replays cannot be edited; it would have been great to be able to edit each sequence and make your own short movies, selecting your shots and camera angles like you can in Driv3r. In fact, given the nature of the game, it is really an unforgivable omission and a real missed opportunity.

Once you have completed the game and unlocked all the sequences, the lifespan comes down to achieving those high scores. This is where the game can get really addictive; as you race through the sequences, pulling off stunt after stunt, you are awarded points depending on accuracy, skill and speed. This score is then translated into a star rating. At first, you will probably stroll by with two- or three-star ratings, but as you strive towards those highest of rankings, you come to realise the importance of stunt stringing. Much like the kudos system in Project Gotham Racing, if you complete another stunt soon after the last you are given a multiplier that adds up with each continuous stunt that you successfully string together, the eventual aim being to achieve a perfect run that is strung together from beginning to end. This is a great risk-reward system that encourages you to really push yourself to perfect each sequence and is addictive as anything currently on the market. Of course, achieving these kinds of perfect runs requires huge levels of repetition and practice. Luckily, restarting a sequence is almost instantaneous. Although this may not sound like a hugely important factor, it is amazing how much of a difference a complete lack of loading times makes when restarting a game of this nature. This was one of the more annoying aspects of the original Stuntman and is something that really shows what a little extra effort in development can achieve.

If things start getting a little too tough as you push through the Career mode, unlike the original there is help at hand this time around. If you find yourself short of a few stars when attempting to unlock one of the later movies then you can always partake in one of the collection of odd jobs available to you. These are one-off events such as TV commercials or large, singular stunts for outdoor events. Although a lot shorter than the movie sequences, these are also a lot less forgiving. You have to nail these or the whole thing is brought to an abrupt end before you know it. Although shorter, these events can be equally addictive and, if nothing else, they are another helping hand when it comes to progressing through the game.

Beyond the Career mode, there is also the option of split-screen multiplayer. Although there are only two different race types, each of them is enjoyable enough to serve as an amusing distraction for as long as they last. The first is backlot battle, which has you and your opponent attempting to pull off as many stunts as possible in the pre-determined number of laps. The second is backlot race, which is more of a traditional race that allows for nitro boosts when stunts are completed. As mentioned, both are fun, it's just a shame that there is such a lack of content here, as each mode, especially backlot battle, shows a lot of promise. Online mode caters for up to eight players and again, although fun, simply doesn't have enough game modes or options to have any real lasting appeal.

Luckily then, there is also the inclusion of a stunt course constructor. Although you can't use the movie sets as templates, which is a huge shame, it is simple enough to use and allows players to either set their own stunt courses or make a larger, one off stunt. The simplicity does make it more accessible, but sadly it also means that it's another aspect of the game that is limited in scope. A bit more effort here and the stunt course constructor could have been an absolute riot.

On Xbox 360, Stuntman: Ignition is a surprisingly good looking game. Although you won't get much time to look around while you are driving, watch a replay or observe a friend playing and you will quickly come to realise just how well modelled the vehicles are. The huge destruction on-screen also runs very smoothly, with each background having a beautifully realised and very unique style. Although it is never up there with the likes of Project Gotham in the looks department, it is certainly easy on the eyes, with the well developed, unique artistic style especially bringing a lot to the visual package as a whole.

Sound wise, Stuntman: Ignition ticks all the right boxes without ever really being all that noticeable. The music always fits in well with the specific movies and the sound effects have all the bang you would expect from driving through a big budget movie sequence. The voice acting for the directors and stunt co-ordinators is sharp enough, while more importantly never coming across as annoying, and the rather forgettable stunt co-ordinator's voice is actually surprisingly well pitched. Believe me, when you are retrying a sequence for the thirtieth time, you really don't want that voice to stand out. It's informative but sits in the background, just the way it should be.

Stuntman: Ignition is a huge step up from its predecessor. Although the basic gameplay mechanics of the original remain, Paradigm have quite wisely attended to the majority of the annoying niggles that tarnished the experience first time around, while adding enough new elements to keep the game from growing stale to quickly. At the end of the day though, you simply have to ask yourself what kind of gamer you are. If you are not one for repetition and score chasing then you may as well give this a miss. However, if you are the type to keep coming back for more and don't mind the trial-and-error aspect of the gameplay, then there really is a lot to like about Stuntman: Ignition's uniquely addictive style of racing.

Reviewed by Liam Pritchard for AceGamez (All Rights Reserved).