"Call of Duty 2: Big Red One" hits its mark for the Xbox system.

Activision had a successful game with the original "Call of Duty" and took a chance on the second one and made it even better.

The gameplay is relatively smooth and keeps the gamer involved throughout the game as the player progresses through the stages of war.

Some of the better aspects of "Duty" are the various types of guns that are presented. Players are able to use numerous old-school guns that add to the flavor.

"Duty" makes the players feel like they are in the middle of a war, too. Although this seems like a nifty aspect, it actually started to drive me crazy after a while.

With all of the chaos taking place in the game, the last thing I'd really want to deal with is bombs going off all over the place and screaming and yelling of orders — but then again, that might be what a war is really like.

Activision put forth an honorable effort creating the war-like atmosphere, but this is also one of the only parts of the game that was dislikeable.

The single player mode is quite intense. Numerous missions are handed out on the fly to the player and the group of soldiers that the player leads through the war. The hard part, at times, was figuring out where and when to move on and when to stop and start shooting people.

Another difficult aspect of the single-player mode was the similar uniforms of the soldiers. The other countries' uniforms look very much like the American soldiers' uniforms, which makes it difficult to decide who to shoot and who to spare.

The graphics and scenery were quite impressive; blown-up buildings, smoking tanks and dead bodies on the ground all added to the atmosphere of the game.

The graphics were clear, and characters and objects were very smooth and recognizable — Activision did a good job in this department of the game, as well.

Clearly the scenery was an important part to the game which ensured the gamer felt like they were fighting in the war.

An added feature was the ability to use Xbox Live. Gamers are now able to go online and battle others from across the nation in different styles of play. It's a great feature for those who get sick of playing by themselves and are looking for some competition or just someone new to play with.

Overall, "Call of Duty 2: Big Red One" was an enjoyable game to play and well worth the time it takes to advance through the war.

Outside of a few minor setbacks and annoying features, which can easily be muted, "Call of Duty 2" was a solid game.

If you liked the original "Call of Duty," you will most definitely enjoy the second one.