A true classic. Very possibly the best Sci-fi sim in existence.
Gameplay: A huge part of any play is gameplay that sticks, and works. Freespace 2 has that, and more, giving the player huge control over their ship, fast paced action and few, if any bugs, that really polish the gameplay off. The AI, friendly and hostile work wonderfully, the music and sound also add to it, making the gameplay incredibly enjoyable.
Sound and music: 10/10 without a doubt. The music is incredible, as are the weapon and explosion sounds, and everything else, however small.
Graphics: Even now, over 10 years later, the graphics are still not half bad. And thanks to the Freespace Open group (FSO) the graphics are stunningly up to date, as are all the textures, models and so on. 11/10, if possible, especially with the FSO upgrades.
AI and Difficulty system: The AI is amazingly intelligent, despite the fact this game is as "old" as it is. The only time the AI will get sluggish on you, is probably in the middle of a massive battle, with the difficulty cranked into Insane. And speaking of difficulty, Easy is way to easy, medium and hard will push the limit of you skills, and Insane is for true Veterans of the game, or someone who wants a good challenge. All in all, it's amazingly balanced.
Final Thoughts: Well, the game is without a doubt, worth looking into. It's a massive game, with a whole community constantly updating it, adding new campaigns and missions, many of which are extremely well done, and some include some awesome Voice Acting, which helps a lot. It also includes FRED, a full level design utility that is amazingly powerful. And to add to it, the FSO group is constantly updating it, which expands it's powers constantly. It is also a very simple editor, myself being able to learn it rather well in simply a couple of hours.
If you do manage to find this a local store, or in a discount bin somewhere, which is rare enough these days, I would recommend getting it. Honestly, you don't have to be a huge Sci-fi fan to enjoy it.
If interested in the FSO group and upgrades, you can find everything your looking for at this website. http://www.hard-light.net/forums/