The skinny:
Who wouldn’t want to be an international spy and assassin? You get to operate in a fun, morally ambiguous gray area while you wax bad guys! Like its predecessor, Pandora relies heavily on stealth instead of action. You have to stick to the shadows even more in this one, since the AI reacts to different levels of panic by equipping your enemies with bulletproof armor and heavier weapons. Ubisoft added new dimensions to the main character’s repertoire of moves: Instead of just creeping around and hanging from ledges, you can wedge your way up narrow crevices and roll past doorways without being detected. You can also bake a German chocolate cake good enough to make you want to slap your mother, but let’s just keep that between us, m’kay?

If you liked this game, you’d like:
Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell, Metal Gear: Twin Snakes, garroting troublesome wildlife around your home because “the Man” won’t let you discharge firearms inside city limits.

Hours to complete:
Vast new levels, a pleasantly murky story line and an even greater emphasis on stealth will string you along for days. Sort of like that hot little number down in accounting, only there’s less chance of disappointment and absolutely no uncomfortable rides in the elevator.

Tantalizing tidbits:
Michael Ironside (Jester from Top Gun!) reprises his role as the voice of Sam Fisher, and Dennis Haysbert (the president in 24 and the voodoo guy who couldn’t hit a curveball in Major League!) comes back as Sam’s armchair puppet master, Irving Lambert. The graphics are beefed-up greatly from the previous title. Even better, Pandora adds a multiplayer online element that allows you to engage in two-on-two stealth missions as either a Fisher-esque Shadow Net Spy or a heavily armed Argus Mercenary. To play as an unrepentant A-hole disguised as an Argus Mercenary or Shadow Net Spy simply use the screen name Bill Maher.

Buy, rent or run away screaming?
Without this game, your library means nothing.