Video game review by ERIK LEIJON

Ubisoft Montreal's latest opus, Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory (Xbox) is the definitive spy game - combining action, stealth and ambience into a technical masterpiece. Feel free to dispose of your Edgar Allan Poe books, this game perfectly encapsulates atmosphere. The constant tension in the game is unlike any other experience in gaming today.

What makes Chaos Theory so outstanding is how Ubisoft Montreal pays attention to the minute details. Where most games today are littered with bugs, Splinter Cell has many little treasures packed deep within its immersive world. The lighting is flawless and extremely important to the gameplay. Merely having to pay attention to how much noise you make adds to the spy environment. Amon Tobin's soundtrack also fits the proceedings nicely.

It is evident that a lot of effort went into making covert operative Sam Fisher as playable as possible. The designers have created a shopping list of ingenious manoeuvres, such as shimmying across ledges to avoid security guards, or split jumping in a narrow hallway before pouncing on them from behind. What surprised me the most about Chaos Theory was that despite the theoretically repetitive gameplay structure that frequently involves knocking people out and opening doors stealthfully, every mission felt fresh.

This comes as no surprise to fans of the series, but some of the new additions to Fisher's arsenal might. The game takes place in 2007, and the designers took advantage of the impending Wi-Fi revolution by giving Sam an EEV headset. Now you can hack computers from across the room - perfect in high-security locations. It's especially rewarding at Displace HQ, when you can hack a laptop computer from a ventilation shaft without opening the vent. The OCP function on your pistol can turn off lights with nary a sound.

Detractors of the series' rigid stealth gameplay will be happy to know that there's slightly more leeway when it comes to killing people. While there are still some levels that require being completely inconspicuous, most missions won't be automatic failures if you feel like sniping someone in the back of the head.

The AI is still fairly pedestrian, but what is impressive this time around is how, when re-entering a room, the AI will act slightly differently. This completely threw off my timing, and it covered up the AI flaws quite well. Still, observing a guard point his flashlight in my direction and not notice me was disappointing.

Also new to the series is the quick save feature. A controversial function in gaming circles, it does at times eliminate the tension of entering a new room, but it's an optional feature.

The Splinter Cell series may have spawned a series of imitators who add stealth elements to their titles haphazardly, but Chaos Theory remains the pre-eminent spy game. They also added an online co-op mode to improve shelf life, and getting perfect scores in the solo missions is tough. I have only played the Xbox version, but according to some reports the PS2 and GC ports are graphically inferior.

It's all Greek

Sony's God of War (Sony) has brought some interesting elements to the action genre. As Kratos, you must pillage and plunder with a dizzying array of 200-hit combos and brutal attacks.

And in attempting to mimic the Greek life as much as possible, some deliciously ribald elements have been included. There's plenty of nudity in the game, including nerd-pleasing vampire nudity, but there's also a sex-playing mini-game that requires you to turn the analog sticks just the right way to please the ladies. Maybe groaning concubines will replace Sonic's rings as gaming's most recognizable sound.

Now playing: Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory (Xbox, PC) Wishlist: Jade Empire (Xbox), Psychonauts (Xbox, PS2)

>> Arts Listings