A sandbox full of cat feces is a sandbox just the same, and as a game, Saints Row 2, you play in it as a personally customized thug (or thuggette) waking in a penitentiary infirmary to find your old gang, the 3rd Street Saints, has disbanded. Well, that's no good so you bust out of prison, make your way back to the streets and set about reestablishing yourself as the big fish in burnt-out pond (city), engaging in various, pre-set quests of thuggery.

Alternately, you just roam around and bash panhandlers with discarded TV sets, jack cars, mow over pedestrians, engage in shoot outs with cops who always seem surprised by your belligerence, and so on. All this to rebuild your gang by ousting rival ones, to boost your street cred, your bank balance and your skill set so you can do more of the same with more sensible shoes.

Still, contrived that it is, Saint's Row 2 does have a lot going for it. First off, it's got a sense of humor, great quips and nebulous, lowbrow dialogue that pokes darkly at the stereotyping the game is so reliant on.

Secondly, there's lots to do, places to explore, tasks to complete, so at $60, you certainly get your money's worth in the sheer-volume sense of things.

Be warned, however, Saints Row 2 demands that you play an active role in all things civilization generally accepts as vile. You murder people; innocent bystanders, cops, and gangsters inclusively.

You steal things, often off the corpses you just freshly minted, sometime for keeps, sometimes for temporary convenience (those samurai swords pilfered from the innumerable, wandering Kill Bill/Ronin girls in yellow leathers sure come in handy... but you'll likely like the chainsaws more).

You jack any old vehicle you come across, big or small, two- to 18 wheeled, and drive it around town with wonton disregard and discarding it just before it explodes from abuse.

It is fun as a visceral visitation to the butt end of one's moral compass, and technically Saints Row 2 is quite an accomplishment -- though far from perfect -- in its unremitting delivery of grand scale action/adventure/role-playing with decent graphics, not to mention the Gordian Knot of an algorithm that adjusts gameplay based on your every action or inaction, accomplishment or failure.

Too, the ability to go online with real buddies playing as your in-game posse is a huge step up for the sandbox genre, great but decidedly morbid fun for sure.

Still, in the end, if you don't come away feeling a little dirty, scummy, or guilt-ridden, then perhaps you shouldn't be playing Saint's Row 2 in the first place, sicko.

Saints Row 2 TIPS: When playing Saints Row 2, you can pause the game and access your cell phone, and dialing specific "pound/numbers" will unlock certain cheat codes in the Cheats menu (where they must then be turned on). Dial "#1" for full health, "#11" for infinite ammo, or "#15" to make all pedestrians act drunk, like they're not hapless enough already.