In the sixth game in the Splinter Cell series, Sam Fisher goes from undercover super hero to fugitive from the law. As the story goes, someone on the inside set him up and now he must use his stealth and cunning to find out who's got it in for him -- without getting caught.

The same development crew responsible for Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory plans to take the Tom Clancy series to new heights by mixing its signature stealth/action style missions with situations that require players to do more than just hide in the shadows.

"We looked at TV shows and films for ideas... like Borne Identity, 24, Rambo," says game producer Thomas Geffroyd. "Then we tried to figure out how to make the player play proactively, not reactively."

In this case, that means enemies will actively hunt Fisher down -- forcing players to make snap decisions about whether it's better to use stealth or brute force. Fisher will also be stripped of his government-issued high-tech gizmos and weapons, so he must use his environments creatively, while figuring how to tap into the black market to get gear that will aid him on his journey.

A brief demo shown at a recent Ubisoft press event delivered a sneak peek at this new proactive kind of gaming. A hoodie-clad Sam Fisher mixes with civilians milling around Washington D.C. Since he's a wanted man, he dons a hoodie to cover his mug, while using distractions (like chucking a laptop into a crowd, which causes a panic) to pass through areas without causing alarm. In another area, Fisher avoids five-oh by checking out a billboard as they pass by or, if a police officer or guard gets suspicious, he can lead them into remote areas and dispatch them using his special brand of Fisher kung-fu. After he taps into the black market, we presume Fisher will get the gear he's more accustomed to -- like his trademark trifocal goggles.

"In this game, we're taking a more character-centric approach," Geffroyd says. "We've lived with this guy for six years, and we wanted to know him better."

This new take on the best-selling Splinter Cell series, for the Xbox 360 and PC is one we'll be keeping an eye out for when it hits stores in November 2007.