Chess -- against terrorists

Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Vegas 2 is just like a game of chess: not too tough to learn, yet very difficult to master.

Like the classic board game, ordering your teammates around and successfully utilizing them is half the battle. And as it is using rooks, pawns, knights and a queen, understanding the most tactful way to attack a roomful of hostiles takes a while, but is one of the keys to success.

It’s also some seriously intense good fun.

Players create the leader of an elite squad of anti-terrorists on a mission in Las Vegas to snuff out a terrorist threat. (By connecting an Eye Toy camera to the PlayStation 3, gamers can even digitize their likeness to use for the main character.) Using all the latest military gadgets -- such as night vision, cutting-edge weapons and even a little snake cam to see under doors -- players battle through wave after wave of baddies with two teammates at their side.

While the controls aren’t as smooth as other shooters, the action is so realistic, it’s hard to stop playing. And while the sounds can get wishy-washy and some of the action can be a little choppy when a lot is going on, RSV2 is still one of the best games of its genre.

Grade: A (the thinking man’s shooter).

Details: Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 platforms; $59.99; rated Mature (blood, intense violence, strong language).

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This Club is all too familiar

It doesn’t take much to be a member of The Club, the recently released action shooter.

In this brilliantly average outing, players battle through levels eliminating a seemingly endless supply of bad guys while seeking the exit, occasionally while racing against a clock. Points are awarded for better shots and number of consecutive bad guys killed. Get the most points, win the tournament.

Haven’t we played this one before?

The Club’s only redeeming qualities are above-average visuals and a few of the different modes of battle, like surviving in a small space while being attacked from all sides, a decent wrinkle.

Aside from that, it’s business as usual.

Grade: B- (we’ve played better; we’ve also played worse).

Details: Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 platforms; $59.99; rated Mature (blood, strong language, violence).