Bounty hunter John Cooper returns in Desperados 2, a belated follow-up to 2001's original instalment. So belated that whilst the publisher remains the same, its name has changed (from Infogrames to Atari).Desperados 2: Cooper's Revenge is an ambitious concoction, a mixture of real-time strategy, tactical, and action elements. The game offers a combination of views - isometric and third-person, between which the player will be able to switch at any time. The ability to switch perspectives gives the player a welcome choice: for example, during fisticuffs or gunfights, players can choose to view the action from a distance for the bigger picture, or to get right into the thick of the fight among the dust and dirt.Ah yes, dust and dirt. You know that feeling you get while watching TV's Deadwood' That dirty, sweaty, 'must-have-a-wash-when-it's-over' feeling' Well, Desperados 2 makes you feel pretty much the same. The atmosphere developer Spellbound has created reeks of horsey water, sun-baked frontier towns, gunsmoke and bourbon. Gamers can test their wild west skills in vast canyons, Indian villages and forts. With five heroes along for the ride as well as Cooper himself, there's a few twists and turns in Desperados 2, a story that's been five years in the making.