There’s no doubt that had this game been released when originally planned, it would be getting one more mark. A harsh way to open the review perhaps, but fair. After a slow start, the 360 now has a wealth of quality titles, some of which do similar things to Double Agent and do them better. Stealth however, is something that only Sam Fisher can do well and Splinter Cell is one game where ‘stealth-based elements’ are wholeheartedly welcome. We’d even suggest that a certain Solid Snake isn’t as crafty or sneaky as our Sam, but we better not say any more or we’ll start getting Anthrax-laced letters.

As the countless previews over the last few months have probably informed you already, this is Splinter Cell but not as we know it. Fisher has acquired a raft of new skills since we last saw him, but sadly, he’s lost a daughter. This loss, which the superspy blames on himself, causes Fisher to throw himself into his work even more than he did previously, leading him to the offer of a high-risk undercover job to infiltrate the terrorist organisation known as the JBA. The JBA is planning to blow up a number of targets on US soil – and it’s down to Fisher to destroy the organisation from the inside to prevent this from happening.

To do this, a cover story is created that winds up with Fisher being incarcerated in a prison where a known member of the terrorist organisation is being held. This forms the basis of the second mission, which is unlike any Splinter Cell mission you will have ever played before. Gone is the comforting knowledge that if things get a little murky you can slide on your night vision and everything will once again become clear. There’s also no back-up in the form of a trusty sidearm should things all go a bit Pete Tong. Instead you must use all the stealth skills available to you rather than simply rely on technology.

Those of you beginning to worry that Splinter Cell has taken a wildly different direction need not fear, as the majority of the missions will give you most of the gadgets you’re used to. In fact, the very first mission could also be lifted straight out of one of the previous games – were it not for the presence of another NSA agent in similar stealth get-up.

The missions that strip you of the usual comforts simply illustrate that the series has moved on – not only in the way you play but also in the way the missions allow you to approach them. Splinter Cell missions have always had a few sections where different routes are presented to you, but there has never been anything that really took you from the set path that you were supposed to travel along. Now however, matters are somewhat different. While your final goal is generally the same, how you get there is a matter of choice. This choice refers to the route you take as well as what you do along that journey. You see, being undercover, Sam is under the watchful eye of two different factions, both of which will react differently to the actions Fisher performs in his missions. Born from this is the trust system, which is a meter that stays with you throughout the game. This meter shows how much each side trusts you, and keeping that in balance is what drives the majority of your decisions. Doing the right thing all the time may well save a few lives here and there, but if you’re discovered and taken out of the picture, then the terrorists will have free rein to do as they please. A few sacrifices will certainly help to keep the terrorists in the dark about your true intentions. Of course, too much sympathy for its dastardly deeds and the NSA will start to question your motives – be just a little bit too convincing as a terrorist and they will pull the plug.

This whole element is what gives the game an almost open-ended feel. For instance, make a decision in an early mission that moves your trust meter in a particular direction, and later on you may have to make a choice that moves it the other way. If that earlier decision had not been made then the latter decision could have been different. Had all this deliberation that surrounds the trust meter simply relied on the main objectives contained within the missions, then things might have been a little more linear. As it is though, the majority of missions contain secondary objectives that are optional. Sounds a bit confusing we know. To help you, this is particularly apparent in the missions that take place in the terrorist headquarters. Here, you perform a number of tasks with little or no stealth required, as obviously you are meant to be there. You do have free rein to wander around the building though, and this contains plenty of areas that aren’t meant for prying eyes. If you want to please your bosses back at the NSA then a little covert snooping will be needed. This isn’t actually required by the mission objectives themselves, but if you’ve done some naughty stuff earlier on, then snooping is certainly handy in order to rebuild some trust. There is risk involved in these practices of course, as you are constantly under the watchful eye of the JBA, who don’t take particularly kindly to nosy people.

If all these trust issues are still confusing you, then perhaps a comparison will help you. If you’ve ever watched a series of 24 then you’ll have witnessed the way Jack Bauer consistently pisses off his superiors by disobeying their orders. However, he is then congratulated by those very same superiors once he’s got the job done; well, when he isn’t faking his own death anyway. The point is, Double Agent is a little bit like 24, although sadly, without Elisha Cuthbert.

Sorry, we’ve digressed slightly. As you can see from the screenshots, this trust meter doesn’t appear on the screen all the time and neither does anything else. The HUD has been totally revamped and only when you want to access something will it appear. In fact, the only thing that does remain is the next objective, although that can be modified slightly to contain a small map too.

With all these HUD elements gone you might be wondering exactly how you are supposed to know whether you’re hidden or not – something which is pretty integral to the entire game. Well, you see that small light on Sam’s back? He always has that on, even in prison (which is a bit weird we must say), and the colour it displays – from a choice of red, yellow, and green – denotes how well hidden you are. This lack of HUD is disconcerting at first but you do get used to it. The idea of a minimal HUD or none at all is something that many games seem to be adopting, so if you don’t like it, you’re going to run into problems pretty soon. We guess the effect is not only meant to give the game a more cinematic feel, but it’s also there so nothing is cluttering the screen that might obscure those lovely nextgeneration visuals.

Very lovely they are too. Splinter Cell has always looked fantastic – even from the very first game, with the lighting being a standout element. Nothing has changed here and the extra power in the 360 has been put to great use creating thoroughly convincing environments. If anything lets Double Agent down though, it’s the character animation, which doesn’t seem to have been changed from the last game. While there’s nothing wrong with it, a few extra frames of animation to make it that little bit smoother certainly wouldn’t have hurt.

If we’re going to start mentioning faults, we might as well get them out of the way now. With just 11 missions, Double Agent could be construed as being a little short. However, the decision making and trust meter certainly add some replay value that wasn’t there previously. The skydiving is something of a letdown too and is little more than an interactive cut-scene, but to be honest it was probably never designed to be anything more than that anyway.

There isn’t much more to moan about really. The trial-and-error gameplay is still evident but is less pronounced than before, which is definitely a good thing. The multiplayer has always been an acquired taste too, but with three-onthree now available, things are definitely heading in the right direction.

Like we said all those words ago, if this was released six months back, then a 9 out of 10 score would be a nobrainer, but times change and the 360 roster is stronger now. Double Agent certainly moves the series in a direction we like, but it isn’t quite the game we’ve been waiting for. Still, 8 doesn’t make it rubbish. Go out and get a copy, you won’t regret it.

Simon Griffin