The gameplay in Splinter Cell is straight out of the platformer school, with plenty of swinging, climbing and jumping through 11 distinct missions. Sam Fisher, the lead character in the game, is tasked to solve the mystery of two missing secret agents, who were lost during a mission in a breakaway Russian Republic. Sam is well trained and well armed, though it's a rare occasion that he'll use a firearm. You see, Sam's missions revolve around stealth, which forces you to sneak around the levels searching for clues and useful items while taking out the less than attentive guards. A quick elbow to the neck takes out most of these guards, while in a pinch you can whip out your pistol to pop a tranquilizer dart into them. Your ammo is quite limited, so the game forces you to learn how to sneak up on guards and use your fists over your firearms.

If you enjoyed Splinter Cell on other consoles such as the GameCube or PlayStation 2, you may find the gameplay on the GBA a bit limiting. First off, it's all two-dimensional, which dampens your sense of immersion and severely limits the stealthy features available to you. Instead of being able to hide in corners or behind cabinets, you'll be stuck either waiting for a guard to move out of sight, or hiding in some of the rarely available closets. The lack of that precious third dimension also means there's no room for exploration.

Sam's collection of gadgets is minimal compared to what's available in the console versions of the game and what there is, you'll have available right from the start. This pre-stocking of gear significantly reduces the challenge in Splinter Cell, since your gear easily outclasses that of your opponents'. The sticky camera, for example, is accessible through a quick click of the right shoulder button, which lets you visually scan large areas of the current level. This makes it entirely too easy to time your entries into an area, which means the guards don't stand a chance. Night vision and lock picking tools are also standard kit, so you'll find it's generally unnecessary to go searching for any extra tools. Even when you do earn one of the two or three extra pieces of kit (pistol, thermal vision and the sniper rifle), you really won't care since your standard gear works just fine.

The stealth component, which is what the game was all about on consoles, is pretty much non-existent in this version. Stealth, quite honestly, isn't a handheld-friendly concept, since guards can only move back and forth, and they have a limited field of view. Sure Sam can crouch down to sneak up on a guard, which reduces his walking noise, but it just doesn't feel right, as any real guard worth his salt would spot a guy in green walking up behind him in a heartbeat.

There are two highlights to the game's graphics; Sam Fisher and the environments. Everything else is "just another GBA graphic." Sam looks great on the GBA, with a smoothness and fluidity to his movement you'll rarely find in a handheld. When Sam sneaks, jumps or swings down the zip line, you'll be impressed by the silky smoothness of the animation. The environments look as good on the small screen as you could hope for, and are generally better looking than environments in most other GBA titles. The rest of the graphics, however, are lifeless and generic. Your opponents, the non-descript guards that populate the levels are lacking any detail and move like robots.

I can't believe I've found a GBA game with an enjoyable soundtrack. It actually has a few moments where you'll catch yourself humming along to the 8-bit techno. What few game sounds there are tend to sound like most other GBA games. Sam's voice work is minimal of course, populated by a few grunts and groans here and there, while the guards are limited to saying "Hey" whenever they spot you and "ugh" when you pop 'em in the kisser with a right hook.

Just like its console cousins, there's little, if any, replay in Splinter Cell. It's a very linear title, which forces you to sequentially complete levels, leaving you no reason to return once you've finished one.

The simplicity of the game leads to it being a very short play. Don't expect to sink more than five or six hours into it and don't expect to be very challenged by it. All you have to do is play a level once or twice, and you'll have it completely wired. While it's a fun few hours of gameplay, you won't feel much of a sense of accomplishment when you're done.

Overall

When you port a console game to handhelds, you're going to lose something in the translation. With Splinter Cell, you pretty much lose all the gameplay elements that it was known for. While this can be a letdown for those hoping for a portable Splinter Cell, it actually ends up fucntioning as the backdrop for a fairly enjoyable platformer. One thing to be wary of is the simplicity of the title, which means you won't be playing it for very long. Still, it's a fun title and a welcome addition to your GBA library.