Sneaking about nicking stuff is not usually considered entertainment. Unless you're a thief that is. Rob dons some sexy black coamouflage gear (then sees sense and dresses normally to review this game.

The morality standard in games is getting worse. From the politically incorrect  splatting and stealing of the action packed Grand Theft Auto and Carmageddon to the running around killing people in Unreal/Quake/SIN. Running around is one thing you'll find very little of in this game. Or cars.

In this game, as the title suggests, you are a thief. Good one eh? The idea of the game is to creep around like some sort of medieval 'Steam Punk Ninja' skulking in the shadows and pick-pocketing passers by for goodies. It isn't that simple though. Like most of the games in this ilk, you have set missions to perform. Mission one is to enter Lord Balfords Mansion and steal his Jeweled Sceptre. To give you an indication of how much creeping around can be involved, it took me nearly two hours just to do this.

The graphics are tremendous. With Quake II and Unreal both going at a snails pace whenever a baddie appears onscreen, I wasn't expecting too much from the update. But, it remains fluid throughout. The game engine and gameplay are both heavily based around subtle and contrasting lighting effects so the realism of the display is phenomenal.. Turning the brightness us on the monitor does make things a little easier but then, that's not the point of the game now is it. Objects and furniture (even corpses!) within the game can be moved around and even thrown. In fact, shooting arrows into a floating barrel causes it to sink slightly. Nice one!

This is a true virtual reality game. With stereo sound guards can be heard approaching from left or right. With a proper 3D surround system and a fair number of speakers this game is as real as it gets. The panning around with the mouse gives a head movement feel although looking down reveals that you have no body (so why hide?). and you can even peer around corners to see what's going on while still hidden. You can run, jump, climb and swim too. I'd love to try this with a Voodoo II and those LCD 3D Glasses!

This has to be one of the scariest games ever. Creeping around sometimes only travelling a few centimetres a second to avoid detection pushes the tension levels to new heights in gaming. Turning the corner to see the back of a guard just inches from your face draws a sharp breath from the player I can tell you. Hearing a group of guards approaching saying things like "Where are you?" and "I'll find you" and not knowing from which corridor the sounds are emanating brings panic. I'm sure they should have included a small microphone headset which could pick up your breathing as this would bring the game to full scariness. Thank goodness they didn't then eh?

The sort of weaponry you have (and can steal, find or buy with stolen gold) reflect the nature of the game. Swords are noisy but OK as a last resort if you're discovered. A Bow and arrow for long range assassin shots (with a nifty zoom in when pulled). A Blackjack for smacking people silently (ish) over the head. More appear throughout the game along with special additions like moss arrows which, when fired, drop a carpet of soft, silent, moss over the area making creeping easier. Water arrows allow torches to be extinguished from distance allowing easier stealth through the level.

This is a brill game. It has to be said that I don't play it that often, but when I do I'll be on it for hours. Only one thing let the game down for me, the inclusion of Zombies and undead on level two spoilt the games realism and my suspension of disbelief was reduced significantly. The level is supposed to be haunted but it would have been far scarier adding spooky sound FX and keeping the player wondering if it really is haunted. That’s only a minor gripe as it still frightened the sh*t out of me. I'm just picky that’s all!

9/10 A Great and very scary game which places care over action. Losing a point for the zombies but still a goody. Get it but take your time. And don't get caught!