For years now, Tom Clancy and Ubisoft have had a splendid relationship, working together on a series of franchises that have since been huge successes not only in terms of strategical combat content, but also in gameplay excitement. If you weren't stalking up and down hallways with Sam Fisher in the Splinter Cell games, then you were probably defending freedom in the highly enjoyable Ghost Recon: Advanced Warfighter. Now, another popular Tom Clancy brand is making the jump to the Xbox 360, and fans of tactical shooting should be absolutely thrilled.

Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six: Vegas promises to be the most enthralling chapter in the series, combining the kind of gameplay that the series has mostly been known for and throwing it in to the lucious lighting of Las Vegas. The game follows you and your tactical team down to the infamous town as a terrorist cell is unfolding a deadly plot to take it hostage and release a devastating plan to destroy it. As freedom's last hope for survival, it's up to you to stop the cell and everybody in it, a task that's easier said than done.

Ubisoft Montreal is back on deck for the development of the game, and you can tell right from the get-go that they're damn serious about capturing the essence of Vegas as you walk through the first level. The Las Vegas Strip is brought convincingly to life, as is Fremont Street, and you'll be scavenging through these locales carefully, neutralizing terrorist threats and making use of tools and items to help you further in completing your task. Each team member in Team Rainbow has specific skills that come into play during your mission, and they must perform them with great precision in order for success to become a factor.

This means that the game won't lean on a run-and-gun play method, so those expecting to blaze through this city that never sleeps ala John McClane in Die Hard Trilogy 2: Viva Las Vegas are going to be sorely disappointed. However, those who have come to know and accept the Rainbow Six play formula, with its deep tactics and elimination gameplay, will be happy with what they find here. The game focuses heavily on squad-based realism, with heavy verbal contact kept between all members of your team, along with suggestions and commands that come in handy to getting the mission at hand completed further. You'll need these tactics, too, because, as you get deeper into the threat and find yourself that much closer to the nerve center of the terrorist cell, you'll find that there are higher-up agents who are more skilled than your average grunt.

Fortunately, you have a lot of tools at your disposal that come in handy for neutralizing such threats. Not only will your team have access to a number of weapons, they'll also be able to access computer terminals and assistance from other members, as well as such tools as the snake cam, which you can sneak in under a door and get a look on the other side. Spotting a terrorist early, you can "tag" a teammate to put them into a position to take them out quickly for a group siege. You'll need these tactics, as everything unfolds in real time and with very sharp AI. You'll also have access to other moves, like rappelling off buildings, fast roping up ropes, and providing blind cover-fire for your teammates to get them out of a pinch.

Rainbow Six: Vegas will mark the series' debut on the Xbox 360, meaning that, on the next-generation hardware, the city of Vegas will be brought to life in excellent detail. As I stated earlier, the details of the city will be very realistic, with locales from the actual city implemented in the action. You'll also be able to destroy a number of pieces in the environment, as well as interact with such items for shielding and hiding. The audio presentation should also be right up on par, complete with chatter between your teammates and the ability to listen in on your enemies from specific spots.

But, of course, a game like Rainbow Six: Vegas can only rely so much on the single-player experience. Sure, there's new equipment to unlock and achievements to score, but the real joy will come in the form of multiplayer, and Vegas will not disappoint. Utilizing the Xbox Live service, gamers will be able to hop online for a customizable multiplayer experience, where they can set up a number of options and take down opposing teams using only the sharpest of tactics. It all sounds very promising.

Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six: Vegas looks to be another exciting chapter in the series, and a fine return to form after a few slight mis-steps in different directions. Credit Ubisoft Montreal for that, focusing on what worked and adding new components to make it that much better. We should be able to check this one out next month at E3, so we'll be back with a full hands-on report shortly. Oh, and if we see Wayne Newton, we'll plug a bullet right in his ass. That's what he gets for charging $80 for tickets.