Splinter Cell: Pandora Tomorrow is the second game in the Splinter Cell series. Splinter Cell is a stealth series, meaning that a direct assault is rarely the answer. Instead, this game requires the main character Sam Fisher to use quick wits and lots of patience. But does this make a good game? Or is Splinter Cell: Pandora Tomorrow just another title that's not worth a second glance? Let's look at the specifics and decide for ourselves.

Graphics: 7
There really isn't anything wrong with the graphics in this game. With that said, there isn't exactly anything spectacular about them either. It's pretty clear what everything is and they do have a level of detail to them, but there really isn't anything that stands out. The lighting is interesting in this game, as it is a vital concept to the gameplay. Many areas are very dark, and this is where you're expected to be when you're not moving. Of course, the game also gives you night vision, which makes everything much easier to see (though it does make everything black and white). One problem is that the animation is a little odd. The main character's animations are fairly smooth, especially when moving about. But the other characters can seem a little awkward at times. However, it is a game for the original Xbox, and this must be taken into consideration. In conclusion, the graphics aren't terrible, but they aren't anything to get excited about either.

Sound: 8
The sound in Pandora Tomorrow is pretty good, though it does have its problems. Most of the sound effects are pretty good. The weapons work, the gadgets work, even the sounds of the environment work pretty well. What doesn't work, however, is the voice acting. Some of the characters are okay. But some of the characters have very weak lines and sound very robotic. Lambert commits this offense throughout the game. And then of course many of the guards have obiously scripted lines that could have been improved. But despite the problem with the lines, the sound still works pretty well. And this is because of the music. It's very subtle, but the music can create the perfect tension needed in a game like this. It definetely makes up for the awkward lines. Pandora Tomorrow has decent sound when everything is considered.

Addictiveness: 6
Pandora Tomorrow's addictiveness really depends on whether or not you're into stealth games. A lot of the game play involves hiding and waiting for the right oppertunity. If you do like all of the sneaking around and shooting down your enemies from the dark, the game can be somewhat addictive. It is surprisingly fun to catch guards, well off guard. But if you're not into all of that, you're going to want to stop playing shortly after you start. The game also gets repetative after a while, so you're not in for any fun surprises as far as game play goes.

Story: 6
It takes some time for Pandora Tomorrow's story to develop. It starts off simple, with an embassy being held by a group of terrorists called Darah Dan Doa. Sam Fisher goes in, gathers information on the terroist group, and gets out. But he and his team find out that there is more to it. The first half of the game is pretty slow storywise, mainly focusing on Fisher's attempts to find out what is going on and what the Darah Dan Doa are planning. But then about half way into the game, the mystry is solved. At this point, the story picks up really quickly. I won't spoil it, but they find out what Pandora Tomorrow means and frantically attempt to stop it before things get really really bad. In summary, the story is drawn out during the first half, but goes forward very quickly in the second half.

Depth: 4
Splinter Cell: Pandora Tomorrow is a very linear game. Your goal is to get from Point A to Point B. You don't have many options as to how you do this. Either you knock out/kill the guys blocking your path, or you sneak around them. And sometimes you're not even allowed to kill. You do have the advantage of choosing from your different gadgets... in some levels. And on top of all that? There are only eight levels, so the game could be beat in a few days of play. Ultimately, Pandora Tomorrow does not provide much depth as a game.

Difficulty: 6
Pandora Tomorrow is a trial and error game. If you've never played it before, there's no way you're going to beat it without failing the mission a few times. The guards have very sensitive ears and there are many missions where one slip up can give you a game over. There are various elements of the game that make up for this, however. In most of the missions, you get several gadgets that in instantly knock out a guard. There are also regular save points throughout each level, meaning you're not put back too far when you get caught or die. Also, once you've memorized the levels (which can be done pretty quickly since you'll be doing many of the sections several times), it becomes much easier to get past them.

Overall: 8.4
Whether or not you like Pandora Tomorrow is going to come down to how patient you can be and whether or not you're willing to play a game that focuses on trial and error. If you're okay with that, then this is a great game that's definitely worth playing. If you don't think you'd like waiting in the dark or slowly sneaking up on people, you would probably find this game dreadfully boring. But for its genre, Pandora Tomorrow is a decent game. It does have its problems (mainly in its lack of flexibility), but it is still a great game overall.