[EbeneezerAl]

In my opinion, you'd be missing out on a lot by not playing CoM. The gameplay really isn't all that spectacular. However, the story is very well written. Not to mention, KH2 does a lousy job of explaining the events of CoM properly, and they're essential to understanding exactly why Sora is in the situation he is in at the start of the game. If you are unable or unwilling to buy the game yourself to play, I would recommend at least finding a friend who does own it and borrowing it from them. It'll make KH2 make a lot more sense.