Sanctuary is a temple map that uses elements from a level of the Halo 2 single-player campaign. Symmetrical in design, Sanctuary is an ideal map for medium-sized CTF games. With a central, raised walkway connecting the two opposing bases, as well as a few ground approaches, Sanctuary offers equal challenges to the attacker or the defender. There is also enough open area to make medium-ranged weapons like the Battle Rifle and Carbine extremely desirable. The map? water features make it a graphical standout.

Its design based on interiors of the High Charity level of the Halo 2 campaign, Gemini is a bit of an oddball. It does not really lend itself to objective games well at all. Rocketball was pretty good. The normal Slayer variations don? play that well. Our group did find two player-configurable Slayer variations that worked very well though. The first involves giving all players only magnum pistols as weapons and no shields. This results in an old-style N64 GoldenEye game variation called The Man With The Golden Gun. A couple of body shots or one clean shot to the head instantly brings down an opponent. The wild, close-range action works perfectly on Gemini. A similar variation that works equally well is players with only shotguns and grenades. Again, the close-range nature of the shotgun combined with ample opportunities to stick fellow players with plasma grenades worked very well on Gemini.

In addition to the maps, Halo 2 Multiplayer Map Pack comes with an update to the Halo 2 game itself. Live players will already have downloaded this free update. It is my understanding that many of the changes are transparent to the average player, but the noticeable good stuff includes more powerful grenades and melee attacks, both of which make the game play a little more like the original Halo. Next time you come across that Brute Shot, pick it up and be surprised.

The disc also contains a cinema called ?nother Day at the Beach? a very short movie showing the fate of one of the other dropships that came down in Mombassa early in the single-player campaign, and another short called ?alo 2: Killtacular.? The latter is a making-of video for the map pack. Also included are an entertaining audio test, the first trailer for Halo 2, and the very first Halo: Combat Evolved trailer shown at E3 in 2000. This last one is of particular interest. This is a trailer shown about 18 months before Halo was released with the Xbox in November 2001. To understate it, it was singularly unimpressive. After seeing that trailer, it is no wonder that there weren? any real expectations for the game. Just goes to show the road this game has taken on its way to becoming the mega-hit it is today.

After a day of intense gaming with the Coagulation Cabal, it is clear the Halo 2 Multiplayer Map Pack is a welcome addition for the Halo 2 player and will help keep the multiplayer experience fresh for some time to come. Not all the maps are stellar, and none of them will ever replace Coagulation as the ultimate do-everything map, but they add variety and having choices is always good. The extras are underwhelming, but for $19.99 Bungie could have just put the nine maps on a disc in a cardboard sleeve and it would still have been worth every penny. I? still hoping for a Halo 2 replacement for Halo? Hang ?m High map, but for now I guess I?l just have to keep waiting. I also still want that Red Rider 200-shot, range-model air rifle with a compass in the stock.