Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell (PC)

Firstly, the controls: a previous reviewer said that they didn't think that the style of this game suited the mouse configuration, but I would disagree: this game suits a mouse and keyboard configuration just as well as Max Payne did. Whereas on the Xbox version, it was extremely tricky to aim accurately using the analogue stick (especially when it came to shooting out lights), with the mouse it's a breeze, which greatly increases the ease of play and decreases the frustration factor. Secondly, the speed and freedom that the mouse movement allows makes navigating the levels a lot easier and also improves your reaction times: therefore giving you a better chance of surviving an unexpected shootout scenario and taking less damage in the process. The analogue speed control on the Xbox version has now been translated to the mouse wheel, so on default you walk slowly, but by sliding the wheel up, you can increase your speed in four different stages: simple but brilliant.

OK, so the controls are a lot more fluid on the PC, but the area of greatest improvement has to be the visuals. While on the Xbox Splinter Cell was a very classy looking game, the restriction of 640 by 480 resolution on the television screen often meant that the game looked blurred and it was sometimes hard to distinguish objects of similar colours. On the PC however, you can crank the resolution right up to 1600 by 1200, so it looks almost photorealistic in comparison and offers one of the best looking games I have ever seen. Performance is not really an issue either, as I ran the game at 1280 by 1024 resolution with all of the graphics details maximised, with only the slightest hint of slowdown in the most crowded areas. Considering my machine is not exactly state of the art: A P3 1Ghz processor, 384MB Ram and a Geforce 4 Ti4600, this is something of a feat itself.

However, the best part of a game is obviously the gameplay itself, and here Splinter Cell stands head and shoulders above everything else. Each level has been designed to offer you a multitude of routes and tactical opportunities with a wealth of interactive scenery: climbable drainpipes, ziplines, walls to rappel down, platforms to climb, windows to shoot through, etc: the list is extensive. This is necessary to avoid detection by the enemy guards, which is also another reason why the game is so fun, as the tension created by lurking in the shadows, avoiding enemy patrols and jumping down quietly behind guards before dispatching them is unparalelled by anything else: you want to remain undetected. Deus Ex, Hitman and Project IGI all featured stealth, but half the time you got bored hiding and just wanted to blast everything in sight; in Splinter Cell, being stealthy is half the fun. The other half lies in the multitude of gadgets at your disposal, from the cool F2000 rifle, to the remote sticky camera to the oh-so very awesome thermal vision goggles, each gadget brings a new level of interactivity to the game, even the lockpicking is involving, requiring you to press the right directional keys in order to crack the mechanism. Sheer class.

So overall, I can only describe Splinter Cell as awesome. OK, so it may be a bit short, but in sheer terms of looks, style and sheer gameplay innovation, it is unmatched by anything else. Even the box is a work of art. This is a superb PC update of an already classic game, and simply cannot be overlooked.

You take the role of Sam Fisher, a shadowy NSA covert operative, and must help save the free world by infiltrating various installations, buildings, oil rigs(!) and military bases in order to gather intelligence and prevent various disasters. You work alone, with just your array of gadgets and limited weaponry to assist you.

Often, you will be forbidden from causing any casualties whilst in-mission, so you have to find a way of achieving your objectives without killing anyone. Most of the time you have to sneak around, staying to the shadows, keeping quiet and timing your movements. You can render people unconscious and then hide them out of sight, which becomes a vital skill.

You are equipped with a rifle and pistol during the game, and these can get quite a lot of use (especially later on), but ammo is very limited, so you often have to think your way through a situation rather than blast away. Fisher will not take much damage either, although medical kits are relatively plentiful. Your gadgets, such as sticky cameras (stick to walls so you can look round corners), sticky shockers (knock people out with electric shock), lock picks, grenades, etc. are invaluable and fun to use.

Without its fantastic graphics, Splinter Cell would be nowhere. The game relies heavily on you staying out of sight, and the dynamic shadows and lighting on display here are second to none. Textures can be a bit on the bland side, but the large environments and effects make up for it. Sam is easy to control and is quite athletic, able to climb and jump all over the place.

The different viewing modes offer night vision (used a lot) and thermal vision (to pick up heat sources, used in places to neat effet). These are both well implemented, although you do spend a lot of time with night vision on, so miss some of the nice graphical lighting effects. And be warned, thermal vision can cause some PCs (mine included) to crash without warning. This is a known issue that so far has not been fixed in a patch. It's not a huge issue, it doesn't happen that often, but is annoying and I hope it is rectified at some point.

Your missions are varied both in content and location, and the story holding them together is (just )good enough to put some feeling into the action. Sam Fisher is also HARD and, in his own way, pretty cool. When you spend so long looking at him and guiding him painstakingly through harm's way, you do form a special bond!

Splinter Cell takes a little getting into, the difficulty curve at the start is pretty high, but you quickly get going and once you have the game mechanics worked out, you are quickly sucked in. It's a great game, and well worth checking out.

Within a graphically stunning environment you must sneak your way round a number of locations performing nefarious tasks.

The beginning of the game takes you though an assault course to familiarise youself with the controls. These are very simple to master for PC players, as they are similar to many other games. There are many special moves and jumps, that are simply logical combinations of the controls. I was concered, prior to purchasing this game, that I would need three hands to play, but this was gladly not the case.

To those players who simply like to kill all other game characters, you will find this tricky. You are equipped for stealth and have very limited other resources at your disposal. Sneaking really is the only way to complete this game.

The main players movement is the core of what makes this game special though, as he can climb, jump, absail, drop, and perform many other movements totally seamlessly. To watch this game played is like watching a film.

A really good game, with superb visuals, and does not require the coordination of a professional drummer octopus to play !