Normally, I'm not one for a patient gameplay experience. Put a gun in my hand and let me charge in a room all John Woo-style, bullets everywhere and taking everything out in a blaze of glory, I say. Contra remains one of my favorite series of all time just for the sake of allowing me to run and gun like a mad bastard. But I don't seem to challenge myself as a true gamer that much by ignoring some of the deeper titles out there. Could the Final Fantasy series be offering something for me if I just study the spells more? What about Metal Gear Solid? Is there a certain satisfaction for taking out the Metal Gear Rex with patience instead of ammunition? It's with that that I sometimes take these forays into games, days at a time when I put a genuine focus on a product just to study its ins and outs and see what it has to offer.

And I did this last time with Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell, and was happily rewarded for my efforts. The game clearly isn't in a run and gun category- it's a stealth based action game where you take control of undercover agent Sam Fisher, a soldier depending on his wits as much as his skills. Fisher would sneak into compounds, take out enemy soldiers, and complete objectives with only a number of tools and skills at hand, including the ability to pivot in hallways, out of view, and even sneak a little wire-cam under doors to peek at what's on the other side. It's still one of the best Xbox efforts to date and worth every penny of its $20 price tag. I kept wondering what Ubi Soft would be able to do next in order to top it. The answer is clear with Pandora Tomorrow.

The sequel offers the same kind of patient, challenging gameplay that made the original such a blast, but it also offers something new to the table that could very well raise the roof in terms of Xbox Live usage - multiplayer action. And it's not just this bland scenario in which players get together and try to run around the room and break necks. Oh, no, this is concentrated multiplayer gameplay, the kind where gamers can hop in and either find themselves to be quite the stealthy master, or lunchmeat for those eager to snap a neck or shoot someone dead.

The multiplayer mode pits two mercenary teams against each other in a number of locations, like a hospital or a movie theatre, and then it's time to rely on some of your stealth skills and tools, like a thermo-cam that reads body heat or the wire-cam, which, like I said, can peek under doors, in order to out-survive the other team. And you can change the balance on your teams if you'd like, so you can put yourself in a three-on-one scenario against your buddies and see how well you hold up. Normally, multiplayer action is built upon first person shooters or sports games, but Pandora Tomorrow kicks the online service into high gear, offering a new kind of gameplay that could very well change how we see match-ups like this forever. Let's see the cheaters try to get past the pros this time. No Action Replay can save you...probably.

Now on to the single player mode, and Pandora Tomorrow has a whopping one if that's what you're looking for. The missions take place over ten different stages, and the locations seem a lot more varied than they were in the first game. One minute, you're riding atop a train coasting through Paris, trying to avoid falling off around the turns while still remaining undetected to the passengers and guards around. The next, you're in an Indonesian camp, trying to track a corrupt guerrilla interested in getting his hands on U.S. documents and releasing some biological warfare upon the world. The stages look fantastic, filled with all sorts of details and hiding places where you can put Fisher's fantastic skills to the test.

Don't believe me? Take a look around the Indonesian level, complete with plenty of places to hide guards' bodies. And you'll need to hide them to avoid detection and further complication on a particular mission. You'll also need to keep an eye out for roving patrols, cameras, even lights and mine traps, so you can avoid cutting away at Fisher's health. The gameplay remains just as fun as always, although this is clearly not the game for you if your idea of fun is running through, shooting everything in sight, and then smiling at the end with a wink in your eye.

This is full-on stealth action, so you better bring a big heap of dexterity and calmness to the table to succeed. The game has taken a few steps back for amateurs to come into play, like indicating certain spots to hide bodies on a radar or showing enemy patrols, but it still remains supercharged as ever as far as intelligence is concerned. A guard still won't hesitate to sound an alarm or shoot you on sight, with a good deal of accuracy.

The game features a similar graphic engine to that of the original Splinter Cell, but it worked then and it works greatly now. Like I said, the new levels look good, and the animations look pretty sharp, right down to Sam's hesitation on a pivot move or flicking on his thermo-cam. Love that wire-cam effect as well. The camera can be moved around pretty easily to get a lay of the land, and remains in a fair state when you leave it alone, although you'll definitely want to use it in particular spots here and there. Sometimes the game bogs into a bit of darkness, but it's all the more reason to use your thermo to see what's going on- and detect if you're walking into a trap. No complaints here.

As for sound, delivery is made well. Villains sound like villains, complete with still voices and somewhat creaky (but still solid) dialogue, and it's up to Sam Fisher to sound better. Of course, he does, thanks to excellent delivery from actor Michael Ironside, who voiced him in the original and doesn't let up here. No David Hayter adjustments here, this is pure Fisher.

The sound effects are great as well, and whatever music's buried in the game comes across fine. The game supports Dolby 7.1 completely, and works wonders on a surround sound system - and if you don't have one, it still sounds good. Just make sure you throw sound into consideration as well - a guard doesn't have to see you to know that something's up. Fortunately, you have a meter that shows your noise level, just so you don't go stomping across terrain and giving yourself away.

Is there a flaw with Splinter Cell: Pandora Tomorrow? Well, not really. One might complain that the single player game is too short, but each of the missions involved is complex and will take plenty of time to complete. There's also word that the Xbox Live Optimatch support is messed up, but that's since been repaired and tested- and works fine now, from what I've played. I think the only real complaint that I would have with Pandora Tomorrow is that it's barely left enough room to see what could come with a third Splinter Cell game. I mean, honestly, how can things get any better than a comprehensive multiplayer mode that keeps me hooked to the point that I want to keep going back in and challenging whomever wiped out my team?

The bottom line is that Splinter Cell: Pandora Tomorrow is a gritty, top-notch, five-star effort that redefines stealth action gaming- again. If the single player missions don't keep your questionable video game skills in check, then the online multiplayer most definitely will. If you're a fan, this is a must-buy. If not, then do yourself a favor and at least challenge yourself with a rental. You might be pleasantly surprised by what results from it.