Jack Carver could very well have some sort of relation to 24's Jack Bauer, couldn't he? The guy's just getting into a number of situations that really put him to the test. What starts out as a relaxing boat ride to get some cash soon ends up as a survival outing against well-armed mercenaries, and some sort of injection gives him animal-like instincts that go beyond normal. Now Carver's bad day continues in Far Cry Instincts Evolution, a follow-up that's disappointing in terms of being an all-out sequel, but seems to fit rather snugly with the word "Expansion".

In the game, Carver, teaming up once again with the wily Kade, finds himself pitted against yet another group of mercenaries who want nothing more than to make mincemeat out of him with their gunplay. This time around, however, the single-player mode kinda takes a bit of vacation all its own, packing only about eight hours worth of gameplay and keeping the story along the basic line, with very few twists and turns. This will let a few of you down, especially if you're expecting something great along the lines of last year's Instincts release. Still, it could've been a lot worse, and the pacing seems to move along quite well.

There are some new elements that come into play with single-player. First of all, the environments seem to be opened up a lot more, so you've got more terrain to cover. This leads to some occasional slowdown, but the presentation remains top-of-the-line for the original Xbox, complete with lush environments that really make you feel like you're on a fantasy island- without having to deal with that damn Tattoo. (Some guy tried to yell "Da plane!" in the office and I gave him a look indicating that I would unleash my own feral powers. So he quieted down quickly.)

There's also some new vehicles and weapons. I have to admit, there's a great guilty pleasure in being able to mow things down with a huge truck. But my personal favorites are pipe bombs (which allow you to take down sniper towers quite well) and blowguns (which add a stealth factor to the game, kinda like the tree traps did). It would've been nice to have more, but what's here is suitable.

The presentation doesn't miss a beat. Along with the great graphics, the game once again features stellar audio work, right down to the use of weapons, the massive explosions that rock the island, and Carver, once again voiced by Stephen Dorff, recounting his bad luck and trying to keep his wits about him. The rest of the cast fits in fine, reading off of a script that manages to stay true to the tone of the original.

Another plus is the feral powers, which are unlocked right from the start here. These powers include all sorts of animal-like abilities, such as a feral punch that can knock an enemy clear across the screen, feral sensing that allows you to see in the dark like the ol' Predator used to do, and feral speed, which gives you greater running and jumping ability. These add a great appeal to the game, and those who got frustrated trying to get all of these in Instincts will be happy to give them a go here.

Like I said, single player will last you only a few hours, as you can probably breeze through it in an afternoon. However, Evolution does manage to add a bit more in its multiplayer factor. The map editor comes in handy for building your own sense of destroyable utopia, and you can share them over Xbox Live to challenge your friends. The multiplayer play remains sharp and focused through a series of modes, and the new multiplayer maps are worth scavenging through a few times, if only to see how well you really hold up. I prefer taking people on in Predator for the 360, just to unlock achievements and continue to rack up my kill count, but if all you have is an original Xbox, this is more than sufficient.

Best of all, Ubisoft was gracious enough to price this little chapter at $30. Not bad, although some of you might still feel a bit cheated over the fact it's not really a full sequel. I suppose Crytek and Ubisoft are saving that addition for a later release, probably on a next-gen machine. I suppose, at this point, Xbox owners are really lucky to get anything new at all.

So Far Cry Instincts Evolution gets the nod. While it may not be the monster that Instincts or Predator are, it still manages to excite at a reasonable price, both by yourself and with friends. And anytime that you can unleash feral attacks on unsuspecting, well-armed schleps, it's a great thing. I bet Jack Bauer wishes he could break out and do that, doesn't he?