It's been over a year since we first stepped into the Zone, the irradiated wasteland that served as the setting for GSC Game World's S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Shadow of Chernobyl. Considering how long that game was delayed, it was first announced back in 2001 as Oblivion Lost and shipped in March of 2007, it's surprising to see the prequel, S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Clear Sky, getting ready for release so soon. And yet here it is, a preview build running on the monitor in front of me.

Maybe the reason this game was developed so much more quickly is because it covers a lot of the same ground. Though new territories like the Swamp starting area and Red Forest further into the zone have been included, you'll still be treading through a lot of familiar territory. So far I've seen Cordon and Garbage, and on the map are other spots from the first game like the Agroprom Research Institute, the Army Warehouses, and Yantar.

Yet all isn't exactly the same this time around. Things are a little more built-up, a little less desolate and decayed. Buildings in Cordon left dark and abandoned in Shadow of Chernobyl are populated by faction groups in Clear Sky. The grasses are greener, the skies significantly brighter, and there seem to be less horrifying mutants populating the landscape.