When the first game came out, it revolutionised the 3rd person game, bringing shadow and lighting to a whole new level. In fact, stealth games would never be the same. Could Ubisoft pull off the same trick for a second time? The answer is a simple yes. Not only did they manage to bring Sam Fisher back for a second tour of duty, but have vastly improved the game over its original. Pandora Tomorrow centres around Sam, the one man army machine against an Indonesian Terrorist network intent on releasing smallpox throughout the world. Like all good networks, it is worldwide and Sam gets to use up all his air miles to visit theses cells. From the start of the game in Dili, Timor, thru to Paris, France, then onto Jerusalem, Israel…….tracking the enemy down in Indonesia and then finally back home in Los Angeles, USA.

With all Tom Clancy games, the story is very real and a compelling tale of terrorist, international espionage and spies. It could happen; what with the world being as it is today and that is what makes this game believable. You feel compelled to continue throughout the game, waiting to see what happens next and how you, as Sam, can save the day, country and the world.

Graphics & Control:

The graphics and animation are out of this world and that is putting it softly. I have not seen a game with this much attention to detail ever on the Xbox. The way Sam Fisher moves around is so smooth, whether he is climbing, repelling down walls or crawling thru sewers, that you can see every muscle flex whilst performing these tasks. On top of all that, Sam can now do the famous SWAT manoeuvre as well as luring enemies to him using his wolf whistle. The scenery is all interactive and every little light can be broken to help you stay in the shadows and succeed in your mission. One of the most glorious maps in this game is the ‘Kundang Camp’ level (see exclusive movie here), based in the Indonesian jungle which is Sam’s first major outdoor outing.

Of course, just like the first game, Sam is kitted out with more gadgets than James Bond, utilising tools such as sticky cams, gas grenades, air foils, stick shockers and armed with a silenced pistol and a SC-20K automatic rifle. The controls feel just right for the game, with the d-pad accessing your night or thermal vision, as well as changing your weapons. This time you no longer need to use your rifle to zoom in to see the enemy afar as you are equipped with built in binoculars to do just that.

Sound:

Sound in this game is very, very important, it is the difference between being successful or alerting the enemy to your presence, stealth is the name of the game and silence is golden. As well as the usual sounds you would expect from this type of a game, Ubisoft have enlisted the vocal talents of Dennis Haysbert (President David Palmer from the TV series “24”) as Fisher’s supervisor and colleague, Irving Lambert, along with Michael Ironside who reprises his role as Sam Fisher. The musical score, Ubisoft have recruited the talents of respected composer Lalo Shifrin, recognised worldwide as the creator of the Mission Impossible theme song and his talent for creating tension and excitement thru his music.

Longevity:

This is where the game differs the most from the original Splinter Cell. It is LIVE enabled, you can play online as either a spy or a mercenary. It is the first time that any game allows players to play from a third-person perspective against others playing in the first person view. With eight maps to play on, all very different from each other and three types of game-play, this game will last you for a very long time. The reason for this is the fact that playing as a spy is very different to how you would play being a mercenary. As a spy, it is your mission to infiltrate hostile ground and either retrieve or neutralize the canisters of smallpox. Armed with non lethal weapons, you must use all your wits and stealth to succeed. Whereas, being a part of the Argus Mercenary network, you get to use lethal force to track down and eliminate the spies, using weapons ranging from proxy mines to machine guns.

The offline game has many levels, each consisting of several missions before you can continue to your next location in the world. Even though the game could be described as linear, there are several alternatives to progress and this offers gamers the incentive to replay previously completed levels.

Round Up:

Overall, this is one of the best Xbox Games currently available. With a great offline game and Live enabled, you get the best of both worlds. If you don’t like stealth, then this game will change your mind, but if you are already a convert….need I say more!!

Pros:

• Live Enabled.
  
• Stealth at it’s very best.
  
• More gadgets than James Bond.
  
• Massive maps with many sub levels.
  

  Cons:
  

  • Steep learning curve.
    
  • Not enough levels.