Others say...

"Gripping, suspenseful, stealth action"
I first bought this game in 2003. Splinter Cell takes a lot of practice to really master.

Fortunately, they give you a training mission as part of the game to help give you an idea of what you're up against. After this training, you're brought right into the game.

The stealth part takes a while to get used to. I have a hard time sneaking past guards, so I usually grab them and knock them out, or shoot them. There are only a few parts where I'm actually capable of sneaking past.

Aside from that part, the game is very addictive. The graphics are very realistic, and the story is relevant as ever today. While stories are not usually what people look for in video games, the story in Splinter Cell is very well written.

There are a few missions that I really don't like, such as mission 4. You are limited on ammo, which can become frustrating. However, the second Splinter Cell game is more frustrating, as you are detected if you so much as punch a guard.

The one thing that frustrates me most are the guard dogs on the later levels. Fortunately, there are only 2 guard dogs that I can think of.

Despite a few frustrating parts, the game play can be fun. Sneaking up on people in the shadows is cool, and taking on terrorists without them realizing it is another cool aspect.

I strongly recommend Splinter Cell. I don't recommend the second one as much, for it is nearly unplayable in certain parts.

This game is challenging, but worth it in the end.

"B-O-R-I-N-G=!"
This a Tom Clancy game?-haaaa! Sam Fisher is a nerdbrain gothboy who is like 54 years old and look at his ghay green googles.The game is boring! the guards won`t even look for you they investigate than go back to their posts where as in MGS the guards look for Snake/Raiden or Big Boss for a while and soemtimes even change their patrol posts.MGS OWNZ SC in Gameplay and Story-So what if SC is more realistic thats all SC has on MGS.I have all three mjr systems apart from XB 360 and i reckon that if MGS were a "Xbox ONLY" title-It would blummin` cut up Splinter Cell-XBox fanboys only USE SC to go head2head with MGS not that they thinks its great.I bet if both series were multi-platform MGS would WIN!
XBox has much better games than this piece of "Sh**" like Far Cry,HALO,HL2 and so on.UbiSoft and Clancy should trash SC and make a more reasonable stealth game that entertains me and LOADS of other people and not choke with this realistic krap-Far Cry is realistic BUT FUN at the same time aswith Metal gear and i EVEN LIKE Hitman over Splinter Cell!-i liked SC at first-SCPT was my first stealth game it was fun but when i tried MGS-it just got lame,these are the order of Stealth games which i adore:

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"Stealth Action to beat"
I don't think there are tons of stealth games to compare this too. While MGS has some cool moves, I have to say SC tips the scales. According to Xbox users, nothing is as great as xbox graphics, but the graphics for the PS2 are pretty darn impressive. A game like SC must rely on its environment to make the game interesting, intriguing, inventive and entertaining. And it does.

The use of shadows, light, and other objects in the game make it fun to skulk around. As expected of a black op, you must be quiet, get in, get the info and get out. Playing Sam Fisher I feel like an elite NSA agent, and the moves of the character are really excellent. I like the way he crouches and walks, presses himself against walls, walks slowly with the gun, and hang and crawl on pipes and ropes. Very cool.

The story is very well done and the intercuts of the 'fake' news and updates on the ongoing terrorist saga is fantastic. The graphics are wonderful. Again, the in game environment is very realistic. If you walk on paper it crinkles, boards creak, water splashes, curtains blow in the wind, etc. I think that makes for better game play.

There are two levels, normal and difficult. I haven't played difficult but I suspect the enemies must be smarter. On normal there are definite moments where the enemies are morons and don't see you standing right next to them. They don't hear other guards being knocked out or grabbed. BUT, that's good when you're not an expert player and are not looking for that level or realism to just make it to the next level.

There are plenty of checkpoints and I don't think the game makes you play a lot over and over if you die, which is good. It seems to have checkpoints and saves in crucial moments (before a big fight, etc)

Michael Ironside sells the voice of Sam and how he interrogates enemies is funny sometimes. It's challenging without being overwhealming or incredibly frustrating, though some things you will definetly do more than once. Patience, shadows, timing and perfect aim are key.

While there are plenty of walkthroughs to help, I found that after doing something 4 or 5 times you find your own way to do it; and you have plenty of gadgets to help you.

The only little flaw is that you don't use gadget nor every move. I didn't use the split jump once, nor did I use the rappel and shoot or use an enemy as cover.

But I really, really enjoyed this game and am in love with this series now. I think Sam is a very mysterious and intriguing character.

"Involves a Bit of Strategy"
Do not buy this game thinking it will be a shoot- em up. This is one of the most comlicated and strategy-filled games out there right now. The game Splinter Cell is fun, has good graphics, good tactics for fighting and an overall great plot. The reason I said 4/5 stars for fun is because it will take a while for a regular gamer to get into. This is because it isn't your average game. There are two reactions to this game - It's way too hard or It's very challengning, therefore i like it. Tom Clancy video games usually have a distinct or unique feature, and this Tom Clancy game has stealth. The kind of stealth where you can't just run up behind someone and blow their head off. You sneak up to them and get information. So like i said, it's not a shoot em up. You do kill people but it's more organized and more realistic. Altogether, a great game.

"its cool, and fun...but its one of the trial and error games"
Trial and error: try something, screw it up, try it again till u get it right....this is in short the gameplay...it comes with the genre