System: Microsoft Xbox 360

Also available for: Sony PlayStation 3, Windows PC

Publisher: Ubisoft

Reviewer’s rating: ***

ESRB rating: Mature

Game type: Tactical shooter

Kind of like: “Ghost Recon: Advanced Warfighter”

Best feature: It’s gotten to the point where any shooter without a cover system feels retro, and “Vegas” has the most elegant of them all.

Worst feature: Few, if any, surprises.

The bottom line: When you’ve created one of the greatest shooters — nay, one of the greatest games — of all time, even a perfunctory sequel is forgivable. Sadly, that’s all Ubisoft delivers here.

Were our expectations simply too high? Probably, but even so, “Vegas 2” is largely a retread of its predecessor’s Sin City setting and counter-terrorism story line — not to mention the same ol’ gameplay.

What makes “Rainbow Six” stand out among shooters is its tactical approach to combat. This isn’t a run-’n’-gun “Halo”-style frag-fest. Players who lack patience and strategic reasoning skills won’t make it past the first mission. Gadgets such as smoke grenades and snake cams are key to survival. Staying in cover is essential.

You have the option of playing through the campaign with a friend (just one, though) — and you’ll want to use it, because the AI of your computer-controlled teammates is roughly equivalent to a sack full of ball-peen hammers.

Online adversarial games are plentiful, but the co-op terrorist hunt is still our favorite multiplayer mode, and the enemy AI there seems much improved and less predictable. The lobby menus and matchmaking system are still a bit sketchy, though.

But, hey, if you loved the first “Vegas” as much as we did, you’re certainly not gonna turn your nose up at new maps and weapons—even if you were hoping for a bit more.