What does one think of when you hear the words "first person shooter"? Well, if you are like most gamers, several things spring to mind. Huge futuristic guns, hordes of dumb enemies, health packs, sci-fi settings, super human stamina, etc etc. All of these items could be found in almost all FPS up until last year. Not any more! Along came Rainbow 6, an action strategy game made by my idol, Tom Clancy. Gone are the un realistic guns, evil aliens and other world locals. Instead, you get to play in real world environments as a memeber of an elite anti terrorist team saving hostages with accurately modelled firearms that follow the one shot one kill philosophy. There are no health packs here, one hit and your @ss is gone. The combination of realistic action and constant fear for your life has been combined in one game to produce one of the best white knuckle action games I have ever played. And the real kicker is that you have to think to live.

Sound here is exquisite, and is just as important as in Thief. You can tell what class of body armor the other guy is wearing just by the "clink" noise he makes as he runs. And you can tell what gun is being used just by the sound of the shots. In fact you can differentiate between various models of the same damn gun! It's almost too real. Ricochets are nicely done too, and the sound of wood splintering behind your head as a clip is emptied at you may cause an "accident". Voices are well done too, and until you get practise, you will be listening to the dreaded "Man down! Man down!" over and over....My only complaint here is that some in game dynamic mood music would have been nice, but it wasn't really needed, so I can't really bitch.

Control here is a little more complex than your normal FPS fare, so study the layout carefully. The game can be played from either first or third person view, and both use a keyboard mouse combo. There are a ton of important command functions to memorize, from the button that reloads to the one needed to set fire rates, but after a while it all becomes second nature. Just don't screw yourself and use any of those controllers specifically designed for 3d games. Man do those things suck. *shudder*

So what makes this title stand out from say, a hyper accurate Quake 2 mod? Well, let me walk you through the typical level to make you understand. First, you get a tactical readout of the situation. Then you arm the men. There are four teams to fill, each with three of four men. For a typical mission, each team gets a demolitions expert. He comes in with full body armor that stops almost all bullets, a shotgun, a HK 40 pistol, and two door charges. The shotgun istelf can blow door off hinges, and the charges work if all else fails. One guy comes in with medium armor, a CAR 15, an HK-40, and extra clips for the CAR. The CAR is hyperaccuarte, and I use it for sniping. The third man comes in with light armor, an silenced HK MP5, and silenced Berreata 9mm, flashbang grenades, and a heartbeat sensor. Quite simply, they will never hear this guy coming. Once the guys are loaded out, you go to a map screen of the area. Here you set waypoints for your men to follow. You can also assign actions for them to do. What I did was have all three guys run to a door. The demo expert blows the door off while the CAR man snipes a tango at the end of the hall way. I go running in as the point man. My heartbeat sensor lets me know if anyone is around the corner, and my pistol lets me drop them quitely. Once that's done, I find the hostage, free her, and escort her out. Now, that's the simple level. Do this with four teams, mutliple hostages, a ton of terrorists, and an office building. If it goes well, all teams will enter at once, but once inside, all hell will break loose. If something can go wrong, often it will, and it's up to you to think on your feet and avoid getting killed. This game is way more intense than any other FPS I've ever played due to it's realism. The multiplayer apsect is a gem too. Imagine four human teams hunting each other in the same manner, and you've got a game that puts all standard deathmatches to shame. All in all, an exceptional game that I highly recomend. And pick up the mission pack too if you can.

A high quality title that has spawned many copycats such as Delta Force and Spec Ops. It manages to combine realism and action while making you think, and never letting you blink much less get bored. This baby is staying on my hard drive for a loooooong time.