Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six

"I've read the Tom Clancy book to death, enjoyed it immensely, and couldn't wait for the game. So, is it any good?"

Well, I'm not going to answer that question right away, am I ? That'd be pretty stupid. But like I said, I really enjoyed the book. The world of crack commandos (that's good soldiers by the way, not marines getting high) has always intrigued me. I got the game on the first day of it's release, and fired it into my playstation. Right from the start I could tell it wasn't exactly what I was looking for. A very dodgy intro movie, which must have cost about $10 to make, didn't inspire confidence. But I brushed that off, still being foolishly optimistic. ''intros don't matter'' I was telling myself ,''it's the gameplay that counts''.

Well, my first impression of the gameplay was that it was totally uninvolving. The mission briefing screens provide practically no information as to the task ahead. Credit it where credit is due though, the equipment screens are ace. Pick three different weapons for for squad of three soldiers, choose their camo armour, and their weapons.

Well, as I said earlier, it's the gameplay that counts. Unfortunately, this isn't good news for Rainbow Six. The controls are near impossible to get comfortable with. Believe it or not, running and turning at the same time isn't possible. Every single button on the playstation joypad is used, and several combinations, and you still can't turn and run? Bad programming methinks. It gets worse. There are certain levels where stealth is needed. If you are spotted, the level becomes much more difficult. Fine, I thought, I'll sneak up and hit the guard with a silenced rifle. uh-uh. It takes two shots to kill him, and by that time he set the alarm off. Great. Also, another favourite gripe of mine is the first person viewpoint. It's ridiculous. Coupled with awful collision detection, it's more common for your ace soldier to run headfirst into a door than through it.

The game isn't totally appalling though. The sound is average, and I have to admit that the concept of the game is excellent. I would love to have seen what Hideo Kojima and his mates at Konami could have done with it, a la Metal Gear Solid, but sadly they let a group of not very well trained chimps loose on it. Darn, back to reading the book and dreaming.

Reviewer's Score: 4/10, Originally Posted: 02/17/00, Updated 02/17/00