Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory (Nintendo DS) Reader Review

So the big screen hit hits the dual screen.
A watered down version of the conosle hit, would it live up to it;s bigger brother versions?

The Chaos Theory has a single player campaign as well as multiplayer co-operation and versus mode for up to four players.
I've not had the chance to play either of the mulitplayer options.

The graphics on Chaos Theory are decent. Full 3d characters and a 3d world. But they feel dated compare to some of DS's other games.
I did notice that the graphics looked very much like those of old playstation games from the late 90's.

The sound is pretty average. Having to be quiet and sneak around means you dont really hear too much. Althoguh the cut scenes does have above average voice acting, which did surprise me much.

Now down to the core of the game, the gameplay.
Despite being a very good idea, and having alot to do in the game, the gameplay is affected by a lot of factors.
First the frame rate. The framerate is very shoddy. dont know numbers but quite a few times the screen does freeze for a split second before resuming. This doesnt help if your about to grab a guard or are close to a ledge.
Next the controls arent the best. The main part of a stealth game is to creep. Despite being able to duck and sneak everywhere, the movement of the character can be a bit frustrating at times. For instance when sneaking up on a bad guy to knock him out youl want to creep up behind him. Youll need to be within distance to grab him, but not too close that you bump in to him. Once you get close to the character is it very diificult to move nearer to him. When you direct your character towards a guard you'll wait a second, then all of a sudden lunge. In teh end you can learn to try and do a few mini 'lunges,' meaning youll have to keep tapping the direction pad towards the guard. Only probably is, if this isnt done quick enough, youll be spotted and its game over.
The camera could of been better. Its controlled using the touch screen. And at first is very hard to use. I found it easier to not have the x-axis inverted, otherwise youl find yourseld pointing in the bottom right hand corner to aim for something in the top left. I little too much confusion. The camera does follow your charaacter slightly, but if you make any turns over 45 degrees you have to fidget with the camera yourself to position it behind you.
The touch screen is also used for picking locks, where you just kind of point to which part of the lock you wish to move, and also for firing in first person, which is easy.

The single player game has lots to do. It is rather linear, like the other games in the series, but you can find yourself spending lots of time on each level. This may be down to having to walk around the levels slowly though, haha
Aswell as the regular, end of goal mission , there is also hidden costumes placed within each level that you can equip on Sam at the main menu screen. At least if gives you something to look out for as well as trying to complete your mission.

Like I say, I havent been able to play any multiplayer game as yet.

So my fainl verdict. Despite having a control scheme that takes a while to get used to, a frame rate and control that make it feel like your walking through mud, you can eventually get used to this game. It might not be fun, but I have found myself wanting to play this game quite alot.
For some reason I have found myself liking this game, despite all its flaws.

If you get this game you may not feel that youve enjoyed the experience playing it, but once you complete it, itll feel like you really have accomplished something.

A very reasonable 7 out of 10