Speaking of sound - it's excellent. Very reminiscent of Metal Gear Solid (hey, it had to be mentioned in here somewhere - from a high level, it's the most similar game to this out there, although it's really simplistic in comparison), the sights and sounds as you creep around are fantastically atmospheric and tension building. You'll find yourself straining for audio clues as to what is around the corner or through a door, listening hard to see if anyone is coming up behind you as you peek under a door or use one of your myriad spy gadgets. Unlike most games, the audio component of Splinter Cell is easily as important as any other component. Fortunately, it's more than up to the task - it doesn't let you down, not even for a moment. Awesome stuff. If you can swing it, get a card that supports EAX HD (Soundblaster Audigy) for some unbelievably cool digital positional audio.

If you are the happy owner of a screaming PC and an Xbox, chances are that you are real interested in how the two games differ - which should you get, in other words. Well, that fully comes down to you and how you like to play - so instead of a "get version x" recommendation, let's go over the differences.

First up, the control. The Xbox has you controlling Sam's movements via the use of two analogue sticks - one for movement, one for aiming / looking. The PC doesn't have any analogue sticks so both of those controls must be handled by the keyboard and mouse. The mouse picks up the aiming / looking control and actually improves on the feel of the xbox original, making for much more precise and much faster "flick" movements etc. All instantly familiar to the seasoned FPS PC gamer. The actual movement of Sam is handled via the keyboard - a much less exciting opportunity at first glance. How can a keyboard handle the precise control of your character that this game demands? Fortunately, in combination with the mouse, the keyboard controls are every bit as versatile as the Xbox's analogue stick. Now, you decide at what speed Sam moves by using the scroll wheel on your mouse - it sounds awkward but it's so intuitive you should assume that this will now be the default method for all future games of this ilk. It's that good. Not only that, but you can remap the buttons to positions that suit you - minimizing the learning curve and allowing you to get straight into the game proper.

When all is said and done, this is easily one of the best games ever released on the PC. It's gorgeous to look at, immersive as hell and incredibly fun - with lots of cool stuff to do, hundreds of ways to tackle each level and gadgets galore. It's a little short and could be a little hard for some gamers but you can guarantee this title will spawn loads of copycat "me too" games - and, hopefully, more than a few sequels. If your PC can handle this game, you owe it to yourself to buy it. If it can't, well, it's worth considering upgrading so it can. It's that good.