Artificial Intelligence

Splinter Cell: Double Agent


History Channel fanboy-made-good Tom Clancy doesn’t write the Splinter Cell games (or many of the books that bear his name, for that matter), but his espionage formula is alive and well in the latest in this successful action series. To wit: a story ripped from the headlines, assorted high-tech gear from the local black-ops flea market and enough plot twists to fill an airport bookstore.

In Double Agent, straight-shooting NSA badass Sam Fisher takes down scheming bad guys, from guerillas in East Timor to nuke-obsessed terrorists in Georgia. To really get into the minds of his enemies — and to add a new kink to the somewhat predictable series — this latest chapter lets the character tap into his evil side, robbing banks, killing helpless prisoners and hijacking tankers. This doesn’t mean he’s gone turncoat; he’s just deep undercover and hell-bent on busting the bad guys from the inside, exorcising a few of his own demons along the way.

The slow-paced third-person action won’t go down easy with the Ritalin set. Fortunately, spy techniques from the NSA playbook, an endless supply of Clancy-approved secret-agent jargon and the main character’s signature night- and heat-vision goggles all help.

Spying is lonely business — but no need to do all the dirty work yourself. Hit up friends for online action head-to-head or savor the sweet power of teamwork, clearing missions side-by-side while humming “The Star-Spangled Banner” into those Xbox Live headsets. Just hope they don’t choke on their Freedom Fries when they learn this flag-waving shoot-’em-up was developed by … a French company.