Chris Haythornthwaite must infiltrate deep into hostile territory and collect critical intelligence, closer than ever to enemy soldiers... all to bring you this review!

Splinter Cell is back with what fans consider to be the real sequel to the smash original game of 2002. In 'Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory' you take on the role of Sam Fisher a covert operative working for the US government who sends him into infiltrate various locations and achieve various objectives whilst being as invisible as possible. I don't like the Splinter Cell games, at least I didn't like the Splinter Cell games…

When I saw Splinter Cell back in 2002, I was taken aback by the graphics and the concept of the game, it seemed like a great idea, of course there had been other games from this genre, such as 'Metal Gear Solid' and 'Syphon Filter', however Splinter Cell just seemed to do everything better. Then I picked up the joypad and tried to play, my god was it hard, I wanted to shoot people, but the moment I did I set off all sorts of alarms and that was it. I soon chucked the joypad to one side and watched my friend play. So when I got a copy of the new Splinter Cell game, Chaos Theory, I thought "oh dear, this isn't going to last long, I wonder exactly how much I need to play in order to write a review", I promised myself I would give it at least two hours, and now I'm glad I did because I cannot stop playing, it's wonderful. It's wonderfully detailed, designed and hard. I must have died 30 plus times in those first two hours and I only managed to complete the first level.

The games doesn't make it easy for uninitiated players to get into the Splinter Cell universe, there is no training level, you just go straight into the game and figure things out as you come to them. There are some training videos that you can watch before you start to play and they give you sort of an idea as to what you're doing, but to begin with I felt there was quite a steep learning curve, even on the easiest difficulty setting, 'Normal'. However persevere and you will soon learn what to do and where to do it, with new equipment and opportunities for special moves opening up in each new level.

The amount of interaction Sam can have with his environment is one of the coolest features of this game, as a player you really have to look at everything on the level and think "how can I use that". For instance the first level is set on an island with a lighthouse, near the end of the level you must climb the lighthouse and get picked up by an helicopter at the top. In order to do this you must get rid of any guards who may be patrolling up there, you can do this by jumping over the metal safety rail, hanging there and as the guard walks past grab him and pull him off the lighthouse, you can then climb up and signal the helicopter. The great thing here is that might be the only place where you use that particular move, but because Sam is so versatile you can adapt it and try something similar in another location and it will work.

The missions are varied and interesting, with settings like a ship out to sea, a Spanish bank, a black out in New York and a South American jungle. The artificial intelligence of the guards is great with them reacting in unique ways but always following their own set routine which just means you need to work out a way around it. Sam has access to loads of cool spy equipment such as a pistol which can disrupt electrical equipment such as lights and a sticky camera which you can shoot at walls to look round corners. The two big features you will soon become accustomed to are the light and sound meter which will help you to stay invisible and work extremely well in the game.

A new addition to this latest squeal is the option to play in a co-operative mode which will offer all new levels different from the solo missions. This adds an extra dimension to the game because the two players are reliant on each other to solve certain objectives, such as one player standing on the other player's shoulders.

There is also a versus mode which will allow you to play on X-Box live and comes with its own training levels, this will ensure the game lasts a lot longer for players with the online ability.

All in all 'Splinter Cell' is an exceptional game that deserves your attention if you are even remotely interested in sneaky, spy games. It might be a bit hard for new players but stick with it and you will be rewarded with a unique and satisfying gaming experience. If you have no patience then this game might no be for you. The Tom Clancy games just keep getting better and better - I look forward to what they have in store for us next.