The Splinter Cell franchise has been hugely successful, but the last couple of games were ultimately dry and unsatisfying. Ubisoft has been aware of this, which is why it took cover boy Sam Fisher back to the drawing board. The challenge: Retain the series' stealth foundation while at the same time plunging gamers into fresh and exciting experiences. It was a daunting task, but the developers have largely succeeded with Splinter Cell: Double Agent. This latest chapter not only looks outstanding, but features a myriad of colorful locations that drag Sam away from the shadows and plunge him into unique conflicts that, while somewhat marred by shady controls and less than intelligent AI, make this the best Splinter Cell yet.

Much like the previous games in the series, Splinter Cell: Double Agent is all about sneaking around and taking out enemies without being seen, except this time, the rules have changed. After suffering a horrible tragedy, Sam finds himself working for two organizations: the NSA (National Security Agency) and a terrorist group known as the John Brown Army. In each mission, he'll (more like you'll) have to strike a harmonious balance of trust between the two by completing various objectives, and the decisions you make will affect how much or little a group trusts you. So, for example, while trying to escape a prison (which appears to be light on maximum security), killing guards will anger the NSA. So unless you want to lose the mission (losing all trust results in failure), you should stay quiet, keep to the shadows, and strike when enemies least expect it. And much like other stealth-based games, there's a colored meter (a color-changing dot, actually) that'll let you know if anyone's been alerted to your presence. It's a good idea to keep your eyes on it, lest you find yourself in a very awkward position.

There are many reasons why to like this game, but the mission diversity is the most impresses. While Double Agent's core sneaking mechanic is similar to previous games in the series, Ubisoft has done a great job mixing up locations as well as the time of day. In one scene, Sam makes a daring escape from a dark prison, and the next, he's wandering about a war-torn South African city that features plenty of gunfights and humongous explosions. It's just nice to see such vastly different environments. Ubisoft's not afraid to plunge players into various extremes, especially since the missions don't have to be completed the same way. Take the South African level, for example. Guys are running around blowing up enemies, and if you want, you can just sneak by without being seen. They won't bother you if you don't bother them. Of course, if you want to make a ruckus you can squeeze off a few rounds and gain their attention, thus changing the overall mission experience. Now factor in multiple objectives from both the NSA and the John Brown Army (it's truly a case of an angel on one shoulder and a demon on the other) and what you've got is a digital recipe for success. It's just a shame that the AI isn't very impressive. I like that its dynamic in the sense that guards often times change positions from mission to mission, and they react to fallen comrades or changes in their environment, but at times the AI is very careless. During a prison riot, I spied guards and inmates walking within ten feet of each other (in plain sight, no less) without firing a shot, and I also had bad guys walk right past me without acknowledging my existence. Much has been made of the AI and other reviewers will throw tons of praise upon it, but I'm not impressed.