Splinter Cell Pandora Tomorrow (PC, M15)

By PETER ELEY

(Herald rating: * * * * * )

Computer games sequels are often better than the original, for the obvious reason that developers learn from their mistakes. Splinter Cell Pandora Tomorrow is a case in point.

The original, Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell, was written for the Xbox.

While one of the better games at that time for what was a new platform, there were some flaws in the gameplay and storyline.

Ubisoft have polished the sequel, Pandora Tomorrow, to produce a genuinely five-star game for Xbox and PC.

The title refers to a codename for a plot by a rogue corporation known as Argus to wipe out the free world with biological weapons in vintage Tom Clancy style.

Again, the playable hero is Sam Fisher, a shadowy secret agent working for an outfit called the Third Echelon, and the game picks up on the stealth and sabotage of its predecessor.

What gives Pandora Tomorrow the edge are its tight plot, which gives the eight lengthy missions cohesion, an excellent multiplayer mode, and the way Sam's weapons and gadgets are integrated into the game.

The range of environments is also much greater than the original, which took place mainly in dimly lit buildings.

Much of Pandora Tomorrow takes place in similar situations, but there are sequences aboard a train speeding through Paris and in the jungles of Indonesia.

It's a nail-biter of a game, where simple mistakes such as leaving the body of an enemy in view can spell disaster.

This means that at times the action slows down and it isn't a game that will appeal to those wanting a thrill a minute.

* Ubisoft

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