Smuggling as a vocation has a long and storied history. As long as there have been tariffs on or laws against the movement of a particular item between locations, there has been smuggling. Even Han Solo, one of the heroes of the “Star Wars” trilogy, was a smuggler. Now, “Smuggler?s Run 2: Hostile Territory” for the Sony PlayStation 2 puts the player in the shoes of one of these law-breaking scoundrels.

The game, published by Rockstar Games, gives players the role of a rookie member of a small-time smuggling operation. He?s the low man on the totem pole, and has to prove himself, working up to better jobs through less important tasks.

But the story here isn?t really important; this isn?t a game that thrives on a strong narrative. The real draw is the frantic, off-road driving. Whether hopping dunes in the blasted landscape of Georgia, Russia or barreling through rice paddies and jungle valleys in Vietnam, the game is fast-paced and easy to play.

The game?s vehicles range from lightweight and quick dune buggies to small trucks and heavier, armored vehicles, but all of them are designed for one thing: picking up and delivering contraband.

Playing the game is fairly simple: contraband is found littered across the countryside or dropped from aircraft, and is marked with yellow smoke flares. Once obtained, it must be delivered to locations marked with red flares, as fast as possible and with a minimum of jostling, along the way. It?s this formula that makes up almost the entire game, with a few exceptions such as races and such. It?s an extremely flexible setup and lends itself to a wide variety of objectives and obstacles.

To assist the player in delivering the contraband, countermeasures are available for different vehicles, including speed boosts, oil slicks, smokescreens and explosives kegs. In most missions, there is a group of military or police vehicles patrolling for smugglers, and these weapons add an offensive edge to avoidance tactics. Also present at times are members of rival smuggling rings, who will try to steal your cargo. Not every mission has to be done solo, though; computer-controlled team members are available at times.

As assignments from the operation?s commander are completed, more difficult missions are made available, as well as new regions, vehicles and countermeasures. A lot of the game is locked at the outset, and it?s only through a lot of playing in both the story-driven and free-range modes that everything the game has to offer can be opened up. There are also a wide variety of two-player missions and options for social gamers.

The game is beautiful, and the locations detailed; Georgia is a barren waste covered in shrub brush and bombed-out villages, while Vietnam is lush and green. The vehicles aren?t flashy, but they?re well-designed and look good. The only visual hiccoughs in the game are the infrequent live-action cutscenes, which are grainy and indistinct. Though the effect appears to be on purpose, possibly done to complement the mood of the game, it seems someone may have gone a little overboard on the effect; “grainy” does not equal “gritty.”

The game also sounds pretty good, with loud explosions and effects and a variety of techno tracks that play during the missions. Though these songs are short and a bit repetitive, the missions are short too, so there isn?t much chance to get sick of the tracks.

In all, “Smuggler?s Run 2” is a fun, arcade-style driving game. While it isn?t flashy, its flexible mission formula, crisp visuals and fun game play make it one to check out, at the least.