Will people stop their baseless griping, already?
Graphics: Pretty good. A little pix-ely, sure, but the DS isn't exactly a graphical power house. Considering the DS's capabilities, they could have been a little better, but they still hold up well enough. But what's with all this talk about slow frame rates? The only time I notice it is when you switch to night/thermal vision, and since you'll probably rarely use the night vision, who cares? There's also a couple cinematics taken straight from the console versions. While they obviously don't look as good as they do on the consoles, they don't look bad on the DS by any means.
Sound: Good enough. The music sounds good, though it does tend to loop a bit often. Voice work is almost completely missing outside the cinematics, which feature all the original voice acting from the console versions. But in the game itself, the only voice samples are two or three phrases from guards. Gameplay: This is what really takes the cake here. While the levels are not as open ended as the console games, it still feels exactly how a Splinter Cell game should. In fact, I'd say this feels more like the first or second Splinter Cell games. But it's definitely not a bad thing, as all of Sam's tricks and maneuvers from the first two games are here. All the typical stealth gameplay is here, which is obviously what counts. There is also co-op and vs. modes like in the console versions, but since it's only multi-card gameplay, odds are you will never play it. Too bad this game came out before Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection did.
Controls: Normally, I don't really talk about controls unless they're really bad. However, since this seems to be what other reviews pick on the most, I'll go ahead and talk about them. Aiming your gun and controlling the camera is controlled with the stylus, firing is controlled with the right shoulder button, and you can walk by pressing the left shoulder button. Face buttons do the basic things, like crouching, hugging a wall, an action button, etc. They aren't the least bit clunky, and I have never had trouble with aiming. Just move the stylus slowly (though not too slow), and you'll be fine.
Overall, this game is simply worth it. If you have ever wanted a portable Splinter Cell, then here it is.