I have a confession to make: I can become invisible. No really, it’s not all that hard. I can also hack into government computers, repel down the sides of buildings, and I know how to use any weapon ever conceived. I guess you could say that I am a secret agent. Well okay, I guess that I can’t do all those things, but when I play “Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell” for the XBox game system, I sure feel like I can. According to the back of the box, “You are Sam Fisher. You have the right to spy, steal, destroy and assassinate to ensure that American freedoms are protected. If captured, the U.S. government will disavow any knowledge of your existence. You are a Splinter Cell.”

According to the Official XBox Magazine, “Splinter Cell” received a score of 9.6, the highest score a game has ever received. After playing this game, it is easy to see why it received such a high score. One of the greatest aspects of this game is the lighting effects. Since stealth is such an important part of the game, it is important to stick to the shadows. The real-time lighting makes this all the more realistic. It is also very impressive to see the light from candles flicker, and sunlight seeping in through closed blinds. Another cool feature is that it is possible to shoot the lights out to create more shadows to hide in.

Stealth is an extremely important part of this game. If you are easily frustrated, or if you like shoot ’em up types of games, then this game might not be for you. There are some missions where killing a single person or setting off an alarm will result in mission failure. As like other games of this genre, this can become increasingly frustrating. It might be necessary to play a certain part of a level five or even ten times. There were times when I played certain levels so many times that I was able to memorize the dialog between the characters I had to eavesdrop on. However, the difficulty factor really doesn’t take away from the game all that much. It is still extremely fun and keeps you entertained.

Another great feature of this game is that it includes behind the scenes footage, much like a special edition DVD. There are interviews with the different game developers about the different aspects of the game.

All in all, “Splinter Cell” is very entertaining, and quite fun. The difficulty level only becomes a factor if you are easily frustrated. Otherwise, it provides a great challenge to those to love to solve problems. This is available now, and can be found at any local gaming store.