Sly is a Raccoon and like his real life counterpart he is attracted to anything that is not nailed down. He is a thief and a good one at that. This counts for both skill and character. Yes, you are a thief for the forces of good. You and your band of thieves get to battle against the Evil Doctor M.

You must guide your character through increasingly more difficult missions, utilising both stealth and brute force to overcome your enemies. Sly can hop from roof to roof. He can climb seemingly impossibly high post and slide effortlessly down cables. Challenges can include jumping from platform to platform, timing it just right to catch the roof of a passing boat, avoiding security laser beams and by the far the most annoying dealing with the guards.

Each mission has its own challenges but invariably it is the guards that cause the most problems. Some you can bypass altogether. This can be using dark areas in the street, or climbing and jumping over them. Where a more direct approach is needed Sly can bring his trusty sickle into play and with some deft strokes lay them out. Where its problematic though is on some levels, being spotted or assaulting guards can cause an immediate guard zerg, where your sickle is no match for laser rifles.

Controlling Sly is a breeze and the movements feel and look fluid. There are some nice animations where his rodent roots become evident in the way he slinks. The backgrounds and cityscapes are very well done however Sly and his team still retain his cartoon feel about them. This may well suit aficionados of the series however more detail in the characters would have been a worthy improvement to the game.

Sly 3; Honor among Thieves represents a first for the Playstation 2 with some parts of the game being able to be experienced in 3D utilising the supplied 3D glasses. Despite the "pratt factor" of somebody seeing you wear them, it actually works in a fashion and shows potentially untapped aspects of gaming others may wish to pursue. For those not interested in this aspect there is the option to play these areas in normal view mode.

This game also represents a first as far as we can recall of the inclusion of a playable character in a Wheelchair. The inclusion of a "special needs" (now known as "additional needs") although at first glance seems to be a bit of cynical political correctness the character himself fits well into the story. This turtle in a wheelchair has his own special abilities and moves and is a refreshing addition. He is just one of the 5 playable characters you eventually end up over the 5 large missions in the game.

The missions themselves are quite big and take place all over the globe. The initial mission sets the scene for the game with a great little tutorial section to help you along in the game including instructions on pick pocketing. Cash can be expended on power ups and additional equipment, so a little extra payment from the guards can come in handy.. There are some nice little additional aspects from previous games including a dog fight in bi-planes and a chance to battle in Pirate Ships.

The graphics in the game are delivered using cartoon cells and the backdrops and environments are great (the 3D is even better). The only place it falls down is in the overlay of the characters. As these are a separate cell they can appear to be in stark contrast from the background and feel a bit out of place.

One of the strengths of the series has been its sound effects and once again the developers have delivered some nice audio touches and in places some truly funny sounds for the guards and enemies you meet.