This sequel improves upon certain features, while still retaining the gritty and unbeautiful style of the original.
While I have no excuse for the map design, I will say that weak story sequences and the lack of character development really makes the player feel alone and disconnected as they wander through the wasteland, so perhaps these problems actually add to the atmosphere? Say what you will, I always found the gritty Russian wasteland along with the melancholic music and a sense of hopelessness always contributed to the most positive aspects of these games.
Also, managing a fascist old-school inventory always makes things interesting. Personally, I feel that what others might call this games "short comings" could actually contribute more than they think. Different ammo-types, medical supplies that carry only certain functions, and radiation-related equipment helps to bog the player down with what in my experience began to feel like a strong immersion in the horrible world portrayed by this game.
Regrettably the tendency for the story to stay in the background harms the game both at the beginning and the end of the game, which may leave you with a bad taste in your mouth. In any case, I thoroughly enjoyed the experience certainly more than I thought I would.
I would also like to follow up with a few notes. As a customization hound, I loved the customization available for weapons and armor, as well as the weapon selection.
Finally, I would like to add I did have quite a few technical problems, mainly the game would crash quite often. Though this was distracting, I wouldn't say it harmed the experience to much of an extent.