Before my very first Splinter Cell game I had never really been a big fan of stealth games. Maybe it's because I can't blow everything up or maybe it's because I am impatient (I am leaning towards impatient). I don't know how Ubisoft did it, but somewhere along the line sneaking from enemy to enemy and choking them out before they knew what happened became as fun as firing rockets and throwing grenades. Splinter Cell: Double Agent (DA) has been an interesting deviation from the series' origins. Gone are the days of hiding in the shadows and stalking your enemies, they have been traded in for a nice tan and a lot of moral dilemmas.

This time around Sam Fisher has found himself in quite the predicament. Sam's newest adventure begins in true Splinter Cell fashion; Sam has to infiltrate and investigate a geothermal plant in Iceland. Upon infiltration he realizes that the plant is actually a staging ground for a missile strike. After Sam Fisher saves the day he receives the news that his only daughter was killed by a drunk driver. After loosing the will to care about anything, he is offered and accepts the most dangerous of missions in a hope that it will refocus him. Sam must infiltrate and spy on John Brown's Army (JBA, a domestic terrorist group). Splinter Cell: Double Agent features my favorite story line for a Splinter Cell game to date. Throughout the game you are tasked with completing multiple objectives for both Third Echelon and JBA. Each task carries certain ramifications that come along with it, and while some objectives must be done some are optional. Throughout the game there is a "trust bar" that shows your trust level with each organization; as you complete objectives the bar will fluctuate depending on the objective; as long as you don't drop to zero on either one the game will continue. I was surprised by how difficult some of the choices came to be during DA. It is by no means a linear game and tells a great story along the way.

All the things you love about the Splinter Cell series you will find in double agent; from hacking computers to strategically incapacitating enemies. Although Splinter Cell: Double Agent does not offer a lot of new gameplay, what is there is still a strong selling point. The one new feature I really liked was the diversity in the level designs. Typically in Splinter Cell games I get the feeling of deja vu when I am playing through the game because many of the environments feel similar. DA offers up a wide variety of locals that in no way feel similar.

I really only have one gripe with Splinter Cell: Double Agent, and that is the lack of darkness. Now I am not a vampire, I enjoy sunlight and daytime, but the same can not be said for Sam Fisher. Let’s face it Sam Fisher is a cape away from being Batman. With all the tools at his disposal, in the end darkness is his greatest weapon. During my time with Splinter Cell I wasn't so much strategizing and planning as I was running and gunning. Although DA is still a stealth action game there is less emphasis on the stealth and more on action.

Even though Splinter Cell: Double Agent makes a serious deviation from its typical gameplay, any fan of the series should still enjoy it. What it lacks in stealth gameplay it makes up for in variety. Tack on a great narrative and you have another game worthy of the Splinter Cell franchise.