For those of us with a hearty interest in gaming, it's hard not to notice the severe drought we're faced with during the summer months. The inescapable fact is that we operate as part of a market whose peak is midwinter and which troughs during those months most suited to outdoor entertainment.

Never the less there are some nuggets on the horizon, as there always are, so take heart as we explore the best of what we're due to get this summer and into the Autumn.

Ghost Recon: Advanced Warfighter 2

The first game on which our PC bound thirst might be quenched is Ubisoft's Ghost Recon: Advanced Warfighter 2, already enjoying a successful Xbox 360 release since March. Of course, there are plenty of good reasons to examine the upcoming PC version separately; perhaps the best of which are the deliberate alterations that have been made to distinguish the PC version from its console sibling.

For me, it's all about the smoke effects...

Advanced Warfighter 2 picks up almost immediately after its predecessor, with only 48 hours of game time passing between the end of the first game and the beginning of the second. Of course, there's still an emphasis on managing your squad of special forces "ghosts" in an effective manner to combat the Mexican civil warriors (who now pose an immediate threat to the U.S.). Players are persistently faced with choices of equipment before missions, each choice coming with the usual benefits and disadvantages befitting any game carrying the Tom Clancy moniker. Balances between weight and accuracy etc. feature prominently and force players to configure equipment with the mission ahead in mind.