Sniper: Ghost Warrior - Second Strike lifts the basic game to an 8.0/10 with longer & better missions.
SGW follows on from FPS games with a very similar narrative, like the Terrorist Takedown series titles, Covert Operations and War in Colombia, in that the player character is a special forces operative battling jungle-based narco-terrorists. SGW has Far Cry-like quality graphics and sound to bring the jungle to life. While CI has always done a good job of portraying jungles SGW is a marked improvement on the earlier titles noted above.
Gameplay-wise SGW is also much improved over earlier titles, although without the usual barrow full of weapons the protagonist must generally make do with a silenced pistol, knives and the sniper rifle only. That said the emphasis is on sniping missions and the silenced pistol should deal with most surprise issues if you play the game in a "sniping spirit".
SGW is NOT a run and gun shooter it very much about stealthily getting to you sniping position, taking down the target and then "getting the hell out of there". Sniping, unsurprisingly, is where the real satisfaction in SGW lies. The bullet-cam effect is excellent and reminiscent of of that used Sniper Elite, which in many ways is a superior sniping/FPS game. Another improvement in this CI title is enemy AI, which while not perfect with enemies that are either "blind and deaf" or eagle-eyed, is better than previous offerings. What of course remains a problem in this, and indeed many other non-CI FPS games, is that SMG armed enemies can blow you away from great ranges, even if in cover, soon as you are spotted (as in Sniper Elite). That said, if you adopt stealth style of play there is a good chance you will not be spotted (but remember to quick save regularly, just in case).
While sniping missions are quite good in the base game, they excel in the Second Strike add-on which has extended missions in a more open environment, and if anything enemy AI is improved. Where SGW fails for me, or at least the enjoyment is spoiled, is the introduction of Delta Force missions, in which you play as another character, and perform assault missions armed with automatic weapons. Why this fails, apart from being an illogical fit in a sniper-themed game, is that the weapons of the Delta operative cannot (or I have just failed to find how to do this) be switched to semi-automatic. Consequently the automatic weapons suffer from a huge "kick-up" making anything but run-in and gun-down ineffective. This to me is a nonsense, especially as the silenced pistol is portrayed more accurate at range.
The Delta Force missions in SGW of themselves would probably be fine if not for the poor automatic weapons modelling. (If anyone knows how to switch these weapons to semi-auto PLEASE tell me.) Unfortunately this somewhat ruins the pacing and feel of the overall game, even if these missions fit in with the narrative. Such missions were dropped in the Second Strike mission pack.
While a checkpoint based games, SGW is far less linear than many FPS games and indeed feels rather "open world" at times, though eventually you will need to get to the next waypoint. There are some moments that are clearly scripted and cut scenes are quite good, seemingly rendered by the games graphics engine. These are a marked improvement on CI's previously non-existent or poor quality cut scenes.
OVERALL: Good sniping missions in the base game, great in the Second Strike mission pack (or GOTY edition) but unfortunately poor Delta Force assault missions in the base game. Be aware that SGW is a Steam title, so only buy it new. SGW is a good "modern era" companion piece to Sniper Elite.