SC: PT Review

If this all sounds incredibly expansive, then that's because it really is. Initial sessions with multiplayer reveal, at first glance, a hideous, huge difficulty curve reaching far beyond your abilities. You may not play it correctly, gritting your teeth when all your usual tactics lead to defeat, but if you refuse to be deterred then soon you will find just how accommodating it can be to your own distinct style of play.

Of course, there are the usual hurdles with any online title. Cheating and glitching can be a real problem. If you cast yourself into the community then you will run into those who cheat endlessly to secure a superficial and meaningless rank, you will also have to deal with an ever growing cast of players who refuse to play Pandora Tomorrow the way it was intended.

The solution, as always, is to either utilize internet forums and add mature players to your friends list, or, if you can stand it, dive into the community and attempt to weed out the good from the bad. Do not play for rank, you will be driven insane by how flawed the system is, rather play for enjoyment itself; we have far too many classifications and titles in everyday life without seeking to carry them on our backs online as well.

He's practising his favourite move again.

Visually the game stands up well to the other versions considering the limitations of the hardware. While not matching the grand visuals of the Xbox version, the game stands out as one of the best looking on the Playstation 2. The lighting and shadows continue to impress, but they don't have the wow factor that came with the original game.

Yet what if you don't have online capability is Pandora Tomorrow a strong enough title to endure without the innovative multiplayer portion? That, regrettably, is an answer which is not easy to give.

The original Splinter Cell is similar enough in both scope and design for you to use it as a gauge for how Pandora Tomorrow will grip you, it can no doubt be picked up for a pittance after entering the budget range some time ago. That is the sensible course, but if you truly trust yourself as a gamer then you really need only ask this question; Do you play games to escape from the rigid, constricting reality we have all around us? Or as games become more familiar, and closer to our everyday lives, in their search for realism, do you find them improving, rather than diminishing, in enjoyment and value?