Coinciding with the release of 2K Games’ fantastic sequel, Bradygames have produced the ultimate guide for Bioshock 2. Veterans and newcomers alike will find plenty to help them here with detailed backgrounds to the main protagonists such as Project Delta and Sofia Lamb, while notable inclusions like Andrew Ryan should give plenty of insight to newcomers who may not have played the original Bioshock.

Prior to the main walkthrough the guide contains details on all the enemies that you will face in Bioshock 2 and offers insights into the best strategies to deal with them. This is useful for when you come up against such menaces as the Brute Splicers, Big Daddies and in particular those nail-biting Big Sisters. Along with the excellent artwork accompanying each of the characters and enemies, there are detailed passages on the origins of the Little Sisters and Big Daddies, both so integral to the Bioshock games. The guide offers extensive advice on all aspects of the game from the controls, to the Big Daddies’ vast array of weaponry to lists of all plasmids and gene tonics that Delta can obtain throughout his detailed exploration of Rapture.

The main walkthrough covers everything in Bioshock 2 warning of rooms up ahead where Splicers are waiting for you while separate sections are devoted to your approach and strategy of defeating every Big Daddy and Big Sister that you will encounter. One of the most useful features I found was advice on the best locations to take Little Sisters to when extracting ADAM from corpses. While your companion is gathering ADAM you are required to protect her by any means at your disposal. The guide provided much needed tips on the best places to lay traps via handy maps and advised of the most likely routes any interloping Splicers would take in trying to get to the Little Sister.

Perhaps one of the best advantages is that the myriad of recordings you gather in Rapture are all transcribed in the guide helping to prevent you from missing any key details if you suddenly come under attack while trying to listen to one of the recordings. Each section you visit in Rapture has clear and detailed maps for you to trace in the guide should you need them. A thorough search of each map will reveal the locations of all the key items in the corresponding area including any tonics or voice recorders you could easily overlook. Hidden items, background details to characters, locations and machines were also available throughout ensuring you could immerse yourself in Rapture as fully as possible.

Aside from the main walkthrough a large chunk of the guide is devoted to the multiplayer option – The Battle for Rapture. Backgrounds to the playable characters and further artwork begin the section that soon becomes an encyclopaedia of information revealing the many trials you can attempt as well as the different game modes such as Survival of the Fittest, Turf War, Capture the Sister and ADAM Grab. Maps of the locations you can engage your multiplayer foes in are also revealed and if that’s somehow still not enough then the final section of the guide lists the many achievements and trophies you can earn in Bioshock 2 in both single and multiplayer!

The Bioshock 2 guide is ideal for those that want to get as much as they can out of the game. The array of images, strategies, locations and general advice on offer here will ensure Delta’s journey through Rapture is a smooth, rather than bumpy, one and that you get to experience the world of Bioshock in its entirety.