PUBLISHER: Square Enix

SYSTEM: Nintendo DS

PRICE: $39.99

AGE RATING: 10-plus

Ivalice has become Square Enix’s favorite world to visit. First introduced in 1998’s Final Fantasy Tactics, this land of magic, monsters and political intrigue has been the setting for several games — though one of them, Final Fantasy Tactics Advance, took place in a literal storybook version of the place.

Its sequel, Final Fantasy Tactics A2: Grimoire of the Rift, happens in the “real” Ivalice. When slacker student Luso (who made a cameo in last year’s remixed reissue of the original Tactics) is sucked into Ivalice through a book he finds in the school library, the boy decides to make the best of his situation and joins a clan of warriors led by the mysterious Cid.

It’s not long before Cid is waylaid for a time and Luso finds himself in nominal charge of the clan, which the player names. He’s kind of looking for a way back, but Luso is determined to enjoy himself in this strange land.

As in the other Tactics games, the heart of the turn-based combat is the Job system, and there have never been as many options as there are here. Many jobs can only be taken on by a particular race, each with its own unique abilities. It’s more important than ever to have a good mix of races and Jobs.

New Jobs are opened up by completing certain missions. New abilities in each Job are taught by specific pieces of equipment — a staff might teach Black Mage basic elemental spells, for example. Such items are often won through combat, but players may also trade in bits of loot at shops to make them available for purchase.

The game looks great. The character sprites and backgrounds are slightly improved, but the spell and ability effects are much nicer. The music also is fine, with some original compositions, and some borrowed from Final Fantasy XII and FFTA.