The original Endless Ocean was a strange title to gamers. We say strange in the lightest terms possible as it seemed to epitomise the term 'Marmite game'. What we mean by Marmite is that half of the population seemed to love the change of pace, hidden depth and serene nature whilst the rest of the gaming crowd sat on the shore pointing and laughing as they continued playing their traditional titles.

As you can imagine Endless Ocean didn't make a big splash, only minor ripples. But those ripples were obviously felt as we find ourselves diving back into the world of underwater exploration in Endless Ocean 2: Adventures of the Deep.And the subtitle is important. You see, Endless Ocean was an enjoyable title sure, but a title which lacked any real cohesion. You could argue that the beauty of Endless Ocean was in its open-natured structure against the natural backdrop of the vast sea at hand, but in the face of all things videogaming, structure plays a pivotal part in guiding any participant's experience.

The story in Endless Ocean 2 isn't going to win any awards, with some ham-fisted writing (look out for a brilliant "it's not rocket-science" mistranslation) and an absurd plot that barely manages to keep you playing until the end. But once you get there and each locale is then available for you to soak in and explore at your own pace, the title truly establishes itself as a true 'gamer's' game.

Pictures are taken via the in-game camera

As you progress through the main story arc you'll be whisked away to areas such as Antarctica, Japan and South America whilst building a colourful cast of characters from the starting point of Jean-Eric, an old sea dog (who looks like Captain Birdseye) and his 15 year old Granddaughter Oceane Rouvier who are both investigating the 'Song of Dragons'.

The locals add more mystery to the story and certainly keep the proverbial carrot dangling but it's the change in locales which defines the Endless Ocean 2 experience. With blue seas Wave Race would be proud of, Akira's passion for all things underwater are truly exposed with some tremendous underwater experiences. Swimming in these new areas offers a fresh slant on the already established format and your senses will be delighted as you experience the murky depths of multiple sites (and all that they house) the world over. Even areas such as the Red Sea differ in their tone and artistry to, say, the starting locales. This, coupled with the expanded Aquarium feature (which obliterates the original's) goes to show how much effort has gone into establishing Endless Ocean 2 as an improvement over the original title.

Flaws? Sure, some creatures animate stiffly (Great White Sharks for instance) and above the water you will (again) be exposed to Thunderbird like animation, but taken as a whole the title looks astonishing from both the aforementioned artistic point of view and in its depth of detail. Far more ship-wrecks adorn the sea-bed, far more areas house exciting discoveries and every area has a special personality which makes it stand far above its predecessor. Swimming at different times of the day further concretes this statement and to see this is to see how much effort has gone into each and every area's presentation with time also affecting the sea life.

Polar Bears...Man eating mammals!

Infact, the only area in which Endless Ocean 2 pales in comparison to the original is in its soundtrack. You may remember Hayley Westenra featured in the original outing alongside the ability to customise your soundtrack. Both options are now sadly missing with only an artist dubbed as "Celtic Woman" featuring. Some of the tracks are beautiful and are used at just the right times (discovering something vast, emotional moments in the story arc etc..) but the lack of a customisable soundtrack and use of poor elevator-like music when traversing means that Endless Ocean 2 ends up sounding inferior to the original.

Fans of the original will be glad to know that successful elements of Endless Ocean return. The use of tools underwater remains (with some being tweaked to be more user-friendly) and new tools make an appearance too. Hunting treasure is now done with a wonderful sonar device which makes treasure hunting fun (think the 'cold, warm, HOT!' game) and there is a pulsar which means you can finally kill Jaws. I jest...The pulsar is used frequently and is used to both heal and calm irate animals. It's an interesting well-used feature and actually means that certain creatures will now attack you which gives off a wonderful feeling of suspense in certain areas.

Just like in the original title you can also bring a diving partner along yet it has been massively expanded here. Each character in your team have their own skills such as pointing out where specific sea creatures are on the map to telling you where you can salvage treasures. The options here are immense and really add an RPG-lite mechanic to the game.

Endless Ocean 2 is controlled in a similar (IR led) way to the original title which means you just need to point where you wish to go and hold B to gently paddle there. Classic controller support is also available but feels cumbersome and archaic in comparison. We had no issues with the control setup although newcomers may find that pressing 1 to display the map, then using the D-Pad to bring up tools as well as controlling your diver at the same time, a cumbersome process.

Other tweaked options make a return such as online multiplayer which now comes with Wii Speak compatibility. Sadly we couldn't find anyone to go online with for this review. (If anyone can let us know how it works or wishes to try it, put your friend code in our forum thread.)

Endless Ocean 2 is possibly the most obvious looking game ever. A 'diving simulation' if you will. But with a main story arc lasting 8-10 hours, more side quests, errands and diving tours to offer than the entirety of the first title it truly offers a more robust, feature-filled experience. Coupled with more salvaging opportunities, trading and island decorating (which in turn goes on to offer side-quests of its own!) you'll be exhausted by the time you see all there is to see. We've played it for 34 hours and feel like we're only now getting to grips with the vast amount of content.

And as for add-on's: SD photo saving, online voice chat, educational elements (which are as accessible as you make them) and a wealth of customisation just shows how the content is off the scale. Yes, Endless Ocean 2 may appear to be nothing but a diving simulation but just like its source material this is a title which just keeps producing more secrets the more you explore its depths.

Destined to be a title fully explored by few, but those few will have a wealth of stories, secrets and experiences to truly call their own.