Sound: 9
Graphics: 9
Gameplay: 8
Replay: 9.5
Multiplayer: Only Online

If you have ever read a Tom Clancy book, then you are aware of how good they are. He knows just how to blend action and suspense. If you have ever played an Ubisoft game, you know how good they are. They know how to mix solid gameplay with good graphics. Mix the two together and what do you get? A great line of Tom Clancy games including Rainbow Six, Ghost Recon, and Splinter Cell. Does the newest installment in the Rainbow Six series have what it takes to be successful?

Of course it does, was there ever any doubt? Ubisoft and Tom Clancy are perfect for each other. This game is another example of a great plot and realism provided by Clancy turned into one of the best shooters for the Xbox. It has a little something for everybody in it. It has squad control, realism, good explosions (for those pyromaniacs), and most importantly being able to wipe out some terrorists. This game, just like all the rest, is made right on the borderline of realism and arcade, which makes it so much fun.

The gameplay in this is solid, especially if you have a Xbox Live headset. Like any FPS, you can run in and just shoot everybody, but you won't get very far doing that in this game. Even though you lead a team of highly trained soldiers, no one is invincible. It takes careful thinking and planning to get out of each mission in one piece, and luckily this game provides many options on how to do it. Giving orders to the rest of your squad is easy, tapping a button brings up a menu where you give them orders. If you don't want them to execute it right away, then you can order them to do it on "Zulu" and once you call Zulu they execute. Of course, this game is so much easier with a headset, because then you don't have to bring up a menu. For instance, you can look at a door, say "Open, frag, and clear" into the headset and watch as your team takes down whoever is inside. Awesome. My only problem is stealth really isn't an option in this game. Enemies see you no matter what most of the time, so moving quietly doesn't really help.

The graphics are very good. Not perfect by any means, but the characters are highly detailed and the environments are very good. There are some jagged edges at times, but it doesn't take away from the beauty of this game. You can see very far off into the distance and there are good backgrounds, but it doesn't really help much because most of the maps take place where the enemies are in close quarters. The weapons look realistic, but the explosions could use a little work. Or maybe I'm just too picky about explosions, who knows...

This game hit the spot in the sound department. The weapons sound very realistic, and your teammates keep good communication. "Tango down" is one of the phrases everyone likes to hear, knowing there is one less bad guy trying to fry your ass. Really though, the sounds are even better with a headset, as your teammates talk to you in game. They will let you know when they spot enemies, when a room is cleared, etc. The voice acting is also very good. One thing about Ubisoft is they always bring in good actors for the voices, everything always matches. It's always good to hear a masculine guy sound like a masculine guy or some geek sound like a geek.

Online play is what will keep you coming back in this game. The Xbox Live offered is truly outstanding. There are cooperative, deathmatch, team deathmatch, and many more options available. After playing the campaign, you can go online and test your skills against some of the best in the nation or pair up with some friends and take on the campaign together. This, along with downloadable content, new maps and such, really gives a lot of incentive to keep you coming back for more.

If you have Xbox Live you will definately want to pick this one up. If you don't, then there isn't any multiplayer options unless you want to link up multiple systems. The game doesn't allow more than one player per system, sadly. But the single player campaign is definately worth a rental. It will provide a lot of excitement and is a good game to have for a big LAN party.