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Leaning around corners, shooting more lights than enemies and sneaking around guards instead of confronting them make Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell an atypical action game. Its emphasis on undetected espionage and one-man missions in foreign countries make this singleplayer- only game stand out. You can make it through most areas without killing anyone, and sometimes this is required. The pacing is a welcome change for Mac gamers, but Splinter Cell can make you feel like a secret agent gofer, running predefined errands without being able to deviate from or impact the story. The console game was released more than two years ago, but because Splinter Cell's style is unique on the Mac, it's still worth recommending.
In a genre-typical plot, you're whisked into a top-secret mission without being told all the details. Following a character resembling George Clooney, most of the action plays out in a thirdperson view. We never had any problems with the camera being obscured. Several tools, such as gun scopes, toss the view into a first-person vantage; the switch between the two angles is seamless.
Because you're at the top of top-secret spies - even the CIA doesn't know about you--you have ample gadgets for each location. Our favorites are the special camera views; you're equipped with night-vision and infrared goggles. We played most of the game by shooting bright lights, clinging to shadows and seeing with the green nightvision tint. While the graphics are typical and not groundbreaking, the vision modes are well executed and add a sense of presence to the game. The rest of the gadgets feel complete, as well. You're equipped with lockpicks, special cameras that see under doors, two guns, smoke grenades, non-lethal shock weapons and more.
The tools and weapons mix perfectly with the game's emphasis on stealth. While you can shoot enemies, this is a last resort; the gunfire often alerts other guards to your presence. Instead, we spent a lot of time climbing over building ledges and cables to avoid confrontation, or sneaking up behind guards and elbowing them in the head. One unique part of the game is that the mouse scroll wheel controls your speed. Instead of choosing between walking or running, you can scurry (move faster than walking, but make less noise than running).
The audio effects -of enemies collapsing, footsteps on wood or metal and other effects - match the action closely. The music changes depending on the situation; if a guard hears you, a low note and tense theme play, but if you're in a firefight, the theme becomes rapid and loud. Like the graphics, the audio conveys the moment, but doesn't innovate beyond other games.
We were disappointed in how scripted Splinter Cell felt. While it's touted as allowing many unique ways to traverse levels, our choices still seemed limited. Often, we felt like we were looking for the way through an area that had been designed by a game programmer, thwarted by un-pickable doors or other blockades that aren't common in real-life. If we weren't supposed to climb over a fence, it had barbed wire at the top. Or if we were required to scale it, a patch of wire was neatly cleared ahead of time. Too often, it seemed as if the hands of the game programmers were guiding us along.
A tense, engaging action game, Splinter Cell's stealth motif is supported by all of the gadgets and character movements. While we don't think it allows you to make enough choices through levels -and none to alter the plot -its exciting action kept us playing.
-ZACK STERN
TOM CLANCY'S SPLINTER CELL: 
Aspyr Media | www.aspyr.com | 512-708-8100 | $40
Pros: Deliberate stealth action, apt and fun gadgets.
Cons: Plot and levels sometimes feel scripted.
Requires: 867MHz G4 or faster, OS 10.2.8 or later, 256MB RAM, 32MB VRAM, DVDROM drive
macHOME recommends: 1GHz G4 or faster, 512MB RAM
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