Splinter Cell goes reactive

But all this action is mighty dangerous. When you're outnumbered you can use the environment to your advantage (provided your enemy doesn't use it first) but why not employ that advantage to avoid face-to-face confrontations? It might not be quite as thrilling, but the possibilities are just as impressive.

We've been given a particular mission example by associate producer Daniel Roy, where Sam must infiltrate a server room hidden within the grounds of a popular Washington park. At this point, Sam is a wanted man, so stepping in line with a crowd - perhaps a tour group - could get you past the patrolling cops.

You can't get to the objective by sticking with the crowd, though. But, by snatching a nearby protester's laptop and smashing it on the ground, you can distract the police as they rush to help and sneak by unnoticed. Although you'll have to make sure the crowd can't pin you down or leave you in the line of sight of the cops that are called over by shocked bystanders.

Sometimes, even Sam's fugitive status can be a useful tool. Officers might leave their post to follow you, say, at which point you lead them into a secluded area and knock them out. You could use this tactic to leave the server room unprotected.

However, once you've finished tinkering with the technology inside, your exit is blocked by a gang of policemen. The answer? Easy. Just blast a few rounds off at a nearby food van, blowing a tire or shattering a window, then use the resulting chaos to cover your escape.

This is just one way of taking on the mission. Conviction 's big aim appears to be in setting you a problem, giving you the tools to solve it, and then sitting back and waiting for you to figure out your own approach - while making sure that everything looks as pretty as possible. If what we're being told really works, Splinter Cell: Conviction could reinvent action games, and be the death of the old style stealth adventure.

May 22, 2007