Thief: Deadly Shadows [Xbox]

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Most console players probably haven't heard of the Thief series, but it's a familiar name to PC owners. The first two games, released in 1998 and 2000, were first-person stealth games, starring the same character: a highly skilled, if slightly cocky, thief named Garrett. The original games' developer, Looking Glass Studios, has gone out of business, but Ion Storm (Deus Ex) has taken the reins, and proved equal to the challenge.

Thief's medieval setting is a pleasant contrast to the present-day worlds of Splinter Cell and Metal Gear. Garrett's city is grimy, rat-infested, and seems to be permanently dark. It's home to two warring factions, the fanatical Hammers and the primitive Pagans, as well as plenty of guards, regular townspeople, and a few secret societies.

The well-developed plot concerns one of these secret societies, the Keepers, who employ Garrett's unique talents in an effort to prevent the city from plunging into another Dark Age. Garrett manages to anger both warring factions very early, but by doing tasks for them, he gradually redeems himself. Players have the chance to explore the city between missions, as well as engage in a little freelance burglary and pickpocketing.

In a major change from the other games in the series, Deadly Shadows supports -- and, indeed, defaults to -- a third-person camera. Alas, it doesn't work very well. Although it doesn't suffer from any complaints that are often leveled at other third-person games, neither does it create much in the way of atmosphere. Do yourself a favor -- stick to the first-person view. It limits your peripheral vision, but you'll be in for a tenser, and more personal, atmospheric experience.

Garrett has some toys, but of course he doesn't have the radars and high-tech gadgets of Snake and Fischer. Instead, players must rely on their ears and eyes. The only stealth aid available is a "light gem" -- a box at the bottom of the screen -- that glows in proportion to the amount of light currently falling on Garrett. If he's in the open, it's bright yellow, and if he's completely hidden, it's dark.

Even lurking in the dark doesn't make Garrett totally invisible. If a guard gets close enough, he'll still be spotted. Often, you'll find yourself flattening into the couch and holding your breath, as if that will improve Garrett's chances of remaining unseen.

Thief's visuals employ very nice light-sourcing and real-time shadow effects, but the figures of guards and other characters are flat and unconvincing. They move stiffly, more like puppets than people. Framerate problems were also very noticeable on the Xbox and on PCs with anything but the highest-end video cards.

The subtle background noise and excellent, varied speech somewhat make up for these presentation flubs. When lurking in the shadows, you'll often hear guards chatting to each other; sometimes their conversation contains useful information, and other times it's just background chatter. Either way, it's a nice touch.

Like Deus Ex II, which shares some technology with Deadly Shadows, maps are often split into several areas rather than being loaded at once. Moving from one mission area to another, assuming you have to cross the city to get there, might involve four or five loads (and on the Xbox, they're not particularly speedy). It's a shame, because it makes the city feel like a set of disjointed areas rather than one continuous world.

The difficulty level is well-balanced. You can adjust it for each mission, which controls things like guard awareness, Garrett's damage resistance, and the amount of loot you have to swag to complete the mission. On the lowest levels, it's a cakewalk; crank it up and you're in for a real challenge. The guards are very smart; they'll notice extinguished torches, objects that have been stolen or moved, and come looking for you if they suspect there's an intruder around.

Fighting guards toe-to-toe is generally a bad idea, because although Garrett can handle one, the noise tends to alert more. It's also unnecessary under most circumstances because one quick (and quiet) blackjack whack to the back of the head knocks them out. This is not a combat heavy game.

Minor difficulties aside, Deadly Shadows is a fitting continuation of an excellent series. Without the guns, gadgets, and radars of modern-themed games, it's a much tenser experience, and the cunning level design and excellent sound effects draw you into its world. The variable difficulty levels mean no one should get seriously stuck, but there's still plenty of challenge for those that want it. The master thief has returned to steal your time -- we advise you let him!