Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell Chaos Theory (PC Games, 2005)

Splinter cell chaos theory was a pretty good "sneaker" game. You have plenty of opportunity to sneak around here, if you like that sort of action.
In fact, to get maximum scores, you need to sneak as much as possible. You actually LOSE points for killing people. Even if you do it real sneaky like.
However, that's a real minor flaw, and let's face it, the only real difference between killing and a sleeper hold is right button or left button. You still have to hide the bodies.
The game play was excellent, and well paced. The actual story line is nothing to be concerned about, but again, if you are going for points, you should listen up. Personally, I find it much better to disregard all the blather and just go through it doing whatever you want. Sneak when you want to sneak, kill when you want to kill. Sooner or later, you will get the job done. If you want to know where your next objective is, there is a 3d map that will help you find it. Just get to that room, and when you bump into the objective, it will give you the options you need to complete it.
Ah, the options. There lies the real bugger in this game. If your instruction manual was like mine, it provides no mention of how to cycle through your options. You may have six options, but you only get the first one.
That seems like a bigger obsticle than it really is. I always just used the first (and only) option on the list, and it worked fine. Just be prepared to enter any room shooting.
Gadgets:
I thought the gadgets sounded pretty cool, but I never got to use any of them.
I believe the manual may have told how to use them, but truthfully, anyone who tried to use all that crap would end in a world of hurt. I am embarassed that a mature operator like Sam even bothers to carry that junk. Surely by now he should have learned that your best weapon is to keep all your senses right where you are, not fiddling with some remote gadget.
In the long run, you evidently don't need the gadgets, although they could be great if you can wrap your mind around them.
I definitely recommend the higher skill levels, just because the lower ones let you get away with stuff you would never get away with in real life, and that just promotes bad habits.
Overall, I thought it was a great game, but I wish the manual told how to do things like open a door stealthily, or even use the little optic fiber peeker. (Yes, its a gadget, but its a good one.)