When Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell: Conviction first appeared on the scene, series hero Sam Fisher was reduced to a hairy bum. Since that game's unveiling, Ubisoft Montreal went back to the drawing board, recreating it from the ground up. Now, Sam no longer resembles an unshowered homeless man, but his rage still remains.

Sam Fisher apparently doesn't like it when you don't wash your hands. Click to see more images from the game...

There's a good reason for that. Conviction's narrative revolves around the death of Sam's daughter, Sarah. Rather than sit around and grieve, he goes after the people responsible for her death. Along the way, he'll face assignments from the Third Echelon, a Washington, D.C.-based government agency. At first, he's hesitant, but he soon learns that these missions could be related to the events that led to Sarah's demise.

Like previous Splinter Cell games, Conviction has the perfect balance of stealth and gunplay. You don't want to run into a room guns blazing. These terrorists come highly trained and shoot anything on sight. Fortunately, Sam has a few tools of the trade. The night-vision goggles make a return. Once activated, he can clearly see his enemies, highlighted in white silhouettes. This makes them easy to spot, even in complete darkness.

A new gadget making its debut is the new sticky camera. Sam can throw this tiny device into a room, without enemies noticing it's there. He'll use it to survey what's happening and plan his next move. Along with providing surveillance, the camera also has a little bang for its buck. You can detonate it and kill anyone within its blast range. Just make sure you use them sparingly. Explosive sticky cameras don't grow on trees, you know.

Sam's combat skills are more brutal than ever before. He can take out enemy soldiers using his trusty pistol or whatever weapons he gets his hands on. But even if you don't have immediate access to a firearm, you're covered, as Sam can tear people apart with his hands. In one scene recently showed at Tokyo Game Show, he has a field day with a Black Arrow agent, slamming his head into a nearby crate before interrogating him. The chump then tries to pull a knife, but Sam is able to grab it and stab him through the hand and the crate, pinning him down for further questioning. The environments definitely play a huge part in his game. We still love the scene from the E3 trailer where he smacks around some guy in a bathroom.

Sam's missions vary, but tie together into the game's alternate storyline. In a level recently revealed at the Tokyo Game Show, he shows up at an industrial plant taken over by Black Arrow agents. He'll have to slowly make his way inside, disabling the guards walking the perimeter before taking control of the plant. Not only can you attack these guys, but you can also use them for defense, grabbing one and using him as a human shield. The best part? After he's served his purpose, you can snap his neck like a twig.

Ubisoft's original take on Conviction looked interesting, to say the least. However, we're very impressed with the revamped edition. It feels more in sync with what we've come to expect from the Splinter Cell series, rather than stumbling into a side story that doesn't fit with Sam's nature. The visuals look very exciting, with a superb attention to detail in both the indoor and outdoor environments. There's plenty of blood to spill, along with splendid animations that capture Sam's brutality. Ubisoft was also wise to bring back Michael Ironside to voice the character, since no one comes close matching his intensity. If you don't believe us, check out his work in Starship Troopers and Total Recall.

It looks like Sam Fisher will make a much-welcomed comeback when Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell: Conviction ships for Xbox 360 and PC on February 23rd. Be sure to check back for GameDaily's final verdict following its release.