Splinter Cell goes reactive

So, we've already grilled the producer of Splinter Cell: Conviction, put Sam Fisherunder the personality microscopeand examined Splinter Cell 's new gameplay direction. Now it's time to go a bit deeper, and explore the interaction that's possible between yourself, your enemies and your surroundings.

With Splinter Cell: Conviction's new Bourne Identity -style action, it's not a case of simply finding the right bit of kit in your inventory to deal with a specific scenario. Sam Fisher's fugitive status, and the location of your objectives, mean you'll be fighting in environments like public parks, offices or busy museums, instead of secure government buildings or terrorist camps.

As a result, the action is going to be far more haphazard and spontaneous. Picture this scene: Sam gains entry into a newspaper office, stalking the lines of desks until he finds a hiding place. Behind him, three policemen are following, searching for Fisher and spreading out across the room. One comes too close, and Fisher swipes out with a punch, sending the cop sprawling, before hefting up a printer and hurling it at the second officer, then sprinting across to the third cop and throwing him across a desk.

But it's important to remember that if you can do something, so can your enemies. Sam is stronger, but he's still vulnerable to the same sort of environmental attacks - so imagine that the policeman we've just thrown across a table leaps up and swipes up a chair, thwocking Fisher around the head with it. Sam staggers back, and the cop pounces. Now what? Well, you grab the cop by his "handles" and throw him into a bookshelf, scattering books and laying him out. Of course.