Though it’s taken a couple of years for Bioshock 2 to reach the Mac, the game’s distinctive style as a first-person shooter has ensured that it doesn’t feel at all dated.

Like the original Bioshock ( ) this sequel takes place in the underwater city of Rapture, a creepy, dripping labyrinth of dark corridors and hallways decked out in an eye-catching art-deco style. Ten years have passed since the events of the first game, but you once more play the role of a Big Daddy, a kind of cyborg designed to protect the blood-sucking Little Sisters who gather the ADAM material required to perform genetic modification surgery on the inhabitants of Rapture.

Things have gotten a bit out of hand in the last ten years, and Rapture has been overrun by a cult of blade splicers, genetically modified nutjobs who have captured your Little Sister, Eleanor. That means that it’s time for you to stock up on weapons and go rescue her once more.

The plot is all over the place, really, but it’s the style of the Bioshock games that really makes them stand out. Rapture itself is an eerie alternative to the sci-fi or WWII settings of most shoot ‘em up games, with atmospheric little details such as glistening drops of water that drip down the screen as you splash through the mildewed corridors.

Your weapons are equally exotic, combining brutal weapons such as a drill or spear gun with genetic enhancements that give you almost magical powers such as the ability to freeze enemies or set them on fire.

The Bioshock games don’t have the sheer high-speed action of many modern shooters, but the slower pace gives you the time you need to explore the mysteries of Rapture in depth. There’s also an online multiplayer mode that you can play after finishing the single-player game.

Macworld’s buying advice

Fans of non-stop shoot-'em-up games might find Bioshock 2 a little bit too leisurely for their tastes, but if you like the idea of exploring a weirdly imaginative setting and storyline then Rapture will be your kind of town.