Stay true to your "stealth"!
GAMEPLAY - Sam Fisher has a lot of great moves, whether if it is stealthily maneuvering around areas or surprise attacks on unsuspecting guards. It's a good thing, too, because I found this game to be more difficult than the MGS games. Unlike MGS, many missions will end immediately if Sam is caught or accidentally sets off an alarm. You generally don't have the option of shooting your way out of a bad situation. Sam moves very smoothly and it is a lot of fun climbing up poles and rappelling off of a roof. Generally the enemy AI is very good, though sometimes too good. There were times when they knew Sam was in the area no matter how quiet or how much in the dark he was, This game will require patience, and you will have to replay many areas using the trial and error method to figure out how to meet your objectives.
GRAPHICS = For the most part hte graphics were very good. The CGI cutscenes between levels resembled CNN news reports that were done well and kept you informed on how your actions were affecting world events. During the actual gameplay the graphics were nice and detailed, though most of the time you could not appreciate ti because you were moving in the dark. This required using the night vision, which was a great tool but it put the world in a grainy black and white so the graphics aren't going to be too impressive.
SOUND - As you would hope, the sound was top notch. High quality sound is a must for a decent stealth game, and Splinter Cell delivers. The noises from footsteps will change depending on the surface Sam is stepping on, and guards will respond if you're not careful. Sam's voice is done by Michael Ironside, one of my favorite actors and I feel it was a perfect match. Though some of the minor enemies spoke in typical foreign accents, all of the major characters spoke well and believably. The music was also appropriate, with a military theme that changed depending on the circumstances.
Value - Overall this was a bit of a short game. I do not know exactly how long the game took me, but I'm guessing between 12-14 hours. A bit reminiscent of the earlier MGS games. Unfortunately it does not offer much in the way of extras. There was an interview with Ironside and an interesting interview with Sam Fisher, and both of these are available from the start. I did not find any bonus after completing the game, except for replaying the game at a higher difficulty. This was kind of disappointing after playing many games that give a sizable amount of bonus material upon completion. On the other hand, I picked this up as a used copy for $6 so I can't complain.
SUMMARY - I've found Splinter Cell to be an enjoyable game, and I've already picked up Pandora Tomorrow so I can continue the fun. One just has to keep in mind that this is a true stealth game that attempts to be much more realistic than Metal Gear, and therefore will be more difficult and require a lot more patience. If this sounds good to you, then by all means I recommend it.