In the new Microsoft Xbox game Splinter Cell, you play a character who is trained in espionage and combat, is given a silenced pistol and night-vision goggles, is sent into harms way and then is asked to try not to kill anyone.

So it makes sense that the games tagline is Stealth Action Redefined. In fact, more than stealth action is redefined in Splinter Cell, one of the better titles for the Xbox thats as likely to reveal your personality as a game player as it is your skill as one.

As spy Sam Fisher, youre part of Third Echelon, a top-secret initiative within the National Security Agency, to investigate the disappearance of two CIA agents in the former Soviet republic of Georgia. Being caught isnt an option, so stealth is key.

After a required tutorial to show you how to control Sam, youre sent to Georgia. From the outset, its impossible to ignore the way lighting effects are used in the game, simply because they are essential to the experience. In the corner of the screen is a meter showing the amount of light illuminating Sam; the extreme left is complete darkness, while the extreme right is Times Square at night.

Because the goal is stealth, Sam craves darkness, so youll spend most of your ammunition shooting out lights to scurry around guards and sneak from doorway to doorway. While this tactic isnt exclusive to Splinter Cell, the use of lighting goes beyond any other game. In some cases, youll wish you could literally shoot the moon, because light comes from so many sources - through windows of lit buildings, from flickering TV sets - that Sams safety is constantly at stake.

Although killing guards is an option, its not the best. Other guards can discover bodies (especially if the corpses arent hidden well) and alert others. Thats why Sam also has the ability to sneak up behind others and get them in a chokehold, which allows him to knock the person out quietly, interrogate him or use him to gain entry to another area, such as forcing an enemy into a retinal scanner to open secure doors. Some objects, such as soda cans, can be tossed to distract guards, facilitating your movement past them.

Various moves and gadgets make the game more realistic, from learning how to use the lock pick or fiber-optic camera to the ability to climb poles or zip across wires.

Bottom line: Shooting everyone in sight may get you through missions, but not killing anyone is immensely more satisfying, albeit harder. Regardless, action fans should appreciate Splinter Cell.