The game starts off in Chicago, where a nasty little conflict has broken out between Solomon Caine, a US crime lord, and his nemesis, a Brazilian gangster. Caine's (particularly) unscrupulous bookkeeper, Pink Lenny, has cut a deal with the Brazilians, which threatens to unsettle the balance of power in the criminal underworld. What does this mean to players? Just that they'll be assuming the identity of Tanner, undercover police officer and hero of the first Driver, and putting all their stunt driving skills to the test.

Part of what made the first game so popular was its realistic and evocative environments, including San Francisco, Miami and LA. This time the road takes a slightly more exotic turn -- from Chicago, Tanner and his partner Tobias Jones, will hit the pavement and head towards Las Vegas, Havana and Rio de Janeiro. Of course, all of the cities are recreated with more accuracy and realism, featuring curved roads, life-like on and off freeway ramps and twisting mountain roads. If this last feature is as cool as some of the city driving we've done, it could push our enjoyment buttons to near ecstatic levels.

Naturally, the game's emphasis remains squarely on the driving part of things, but gamers will be delighted to know that Tanner's skills as an effective undercover agent extend this time beyond those four doors of trusty American steel. Tanner can now get out of the car and run around on the streets in search of a new set of wheels -- which now include buses, muscle cars and even fire trucks. We tested this feature during a Free Ride, and it's enormously fun -- Tanner can even stand in front of a car, causing it to roll to a stop, and then forcefully evict the current owner. Apparently, he's a pretty surly-looking dude -- even pedestrians run from him when he gets too close. Considering the thought that's gone into crafting the over 40 missions available, we're hoping (and assuming, for now) that this feature is more than just a last-minute addition, and expect that later missions in the game will necessitate some pedestrian planning and fancy footwork.

Plenty of other details abound -- from what we've seen, the cutscenes are remarkably improved from the first, featuring full character lip-synching, some nice cinematic camera angles and a storyline packed with smuggling, swindling and shooting. The pedestrians now feature a wider range of actions, including sunbathing (is there anything else to do in Rio?), walking in and out of buildings and generally loafing about. Some new driving games are included (not that we were complaining about the lack of them in the first) and should help extend what's sure to be a lengthy gaming experience. Even better, a two-player splitscreen mode will give gamers and their friends plenty of opportunities to create their own smash-'em up hilarity.