Thief: Deadly Shadows : PC/XBox

The Thief series is considered by many gamers, to be the apex of the stealth genre and without them the Splinter Cells and Metal Gears of this world probably wouldn't exist.

The first game in the series, Thief:The Dark Project, came out in '98 and superb sequel Thief 2: The Metal Age hit the shelves two years later

A rich story, innovative gameplay, spooky locations and a vivid steampunk setting kept gamers hooked. All without rocket jumping.

While both games were praised by gaming press, neither were particularly successful commercially and developer Looking Glass Studios closed down in 2000.

Studio Head and Industry legend Warren Spector (Ulitima Underworld, Deus Ex), went on to form Ion Storm Austin where the latest installment has been developed.


The player once again assumes the role of the cynical master thief Garrett. Old foes and allies return. Fanatic hollier-than-thou hammerites, "tricksy" pagans, and of course the shadowy guild of Keepers.

The graphics (as you would expect from Ion Storm) are stunning. Character models and textures are realistic and well animated. The lighting is spot on, which is absolutely crucial considering the nature of the game. Blot out a torch with a water arrow and you can happily hide in the shadows you've created. Sneak up on a guard in an ill chosen spot and your shadow will loom over, alerting him to your presence and demonstrating the incredible A.I.


If a townsperson witnesses you breaking the law, they'll run off and get a guard. If a guard can't handle you, he'll leg it and come back with his cronies.

If an allied NPC sees you being attacked, they'll back you up. Which brings us to the next point.

The freeform nature of the game. While this has always been evident in the series, this installment takes it to the next level.


As well as a bunch of missions which you can complete as comprehensively or basically as you like, there's a whole city for you to explore and pilfer in third or first person. While it's not quite 'Grand Thief Auto', it's a step in the right direction.

The later missions in the game are genuinely scary and unsettling, especially the ones involving zombies. Previously in 'Thief', Zombies were somewhat annoying and felt a little out of place. The new and improved Deadly Shadows undead run, scream, and generally put the wind up you.


There are plenty of nice little touches. Shoot a moss arrow into an opponents face and they'll choke, giving you time to escape. Lockpicking is done Splinter Cell style, which with a little skill and practice becomes second nature. Oil flasks are a comedic affair. Smash one on the ground and pursuing enemies will slip off of rooftops or straight into walls.

We have to mention a couple of little niggles.

The XBox version has an annoying bug which, resets the difficulty to normal when loading a saved game and also a few frame rate issues when there are too many enemies on the screen.

These niggles are minor though and shouldn't stand in the way of an essential addition to any gamers collection.

All in all, highly recommended.