Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six 3

Rainbow Six 3 is the military FPS that Xbox owners have been waiting for. While I appreciate the finer points of the Ghost Recon games, which are also developed by Ubi Soft Montreal, they're not really my cup of tea. Rainbow Six 3 takes everything that's exciting about an elite team of military commandos and hands it to you perfectly crafted and refined, all wrapped up with a neat little bow. A package so complete in its features and play mechanics, it really should be regarded as an instant classic.

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Rainbow Six 3 puts you into the role of Domingo УDingФ Chavez, a 35-year-old elite weapons and tactics specialist in the employ of the U.S. military. Ding is tapped to lead Rainbow Six, a Уbest of the bestФ unit of fierce and cunning warriors from around the globe. R6 is called in when a terrorist scenario gets out of control. Swift, deadly and precise R6 are -- simply put -- the best at taking out the trash.

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In the single player campaign, which consists of some very cool and exciting missions, you'll have command of three squad-mates -- Louis Loiselle, Eddie Price and Dieter Weber.а For the most part, the AI performs admirably. Using the Xbox Live communicator, you can direct your guys with voice commands, or use the controller buttons and an onscreen menu to issue orders. You can have your team hold positions, regroup and follow you, or move ahead to scout an upcoming area. Be assured that they will react to threats automatically, and cover you accordingly, and they mostly do a good job of it. This leaves you free to react instantly to any immediate problems, as well as defuse the occasional bomb, or secure any hostages. You'll also be able to have your men breach a door and clear the room, as well as use more advanced tactics, such as tossing a flash bang or frag grenade in after they breach. Furthermore, you can toggle on Zulu Orders. These commands allow your team to get into position and execute a room sweep and clear with a coordinated attack when you give the word. Great stuff, and it really immerses you into the role of an elite soldier. That feeling is further reinforced because the mission objectives (imparted by Rainbow Six's commander, John Clark) can be piped through the Live communicator, mimicking the function of a real operative's earpiece.а

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The missions are difficult, even on the СRecruit' setting, but you won't mind repeating them, since most of them are great fun. You'll rescue hostages, disarm explosives and of course, kill terrorist thugs at every turn. While the squad based gameplay and the fact that your life meter isn't very robust require some serious caution and realistically strategic movements, there are plenty of intense firefights and wild action. The recoil of the various weapons makes hosing fire around pointless, so a quick double tap to an enemy's chest or head is the most effective way to put them down for the count.

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Speaking of weapons, Rainbow Six 3 puts a huge assortment of real world firearms at your disposal. The G3A3 7.62mm scoped assault rifle is a personal favorite, as well as the vicious M16A2. You'll also find shotguns, sniper rifles, grenade launchers and machine pistols. Load-out at the start of a match allows you to assign a primary and secondary weapon, as well as various explosives. Frag or flashbang grenades, breaching charges and Claymore mines are all selectable. In addition, the game hooks you up with both night and thermal vision, easily flicked on or off with a button press. These features are awesome, and lend an air of solid realism to the gameplay. Moving through the sewers of Alcatraz and spotting foes from 30 yards with NV is incredible. Not to mention the thrill of cracking a door, tossing a smoke grenade, then storming the area as thermal vision shows you the exact position of your enemies, who would otherwise be completely obscured by smoke. Trust me -- popping a terrorist using only his body heat signature never gets old. The M34 White Phosphorus grenades (known as УWillie PetesФ) will light an adversary on fire, and watching some poor sap run around like a roman candle is hilarious -- particularly if he's on the other team.

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This brings us to the online play, which is absolutely stellar. Several adversarial game types are available, including Sharpshooter. This is an every man for himself deathmatch, and when you die you'll respawn and join the action again. Also included are Survival and Team Survival, both of which limit you to one life only Ц no respawns. These are great fun, and even when you eat it, you'll be able to hang out with other УdeadФ players and chat while you watch the rest of the round unfold. The maps are great, and feature lots of cool locations and plenty of spots to stalk your enemies from. There are numerous options available to the host, including the ability to turn friendly fire on or off, and whether or not to punish team-killers.

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Some of my favorite matches in Rainbow Six 3 have been in the cooperative modes. Up to 4 gamers can play through any of the single player missions together over Live, as well as engage in Terrorist Hunt. Basically, this drops you and your buds into a map with randomly spawning adversaries along the way, with the mission order to exterminate all threats with extreme prejudice. Playing as a team with 3 other people is what R63 is all about, and the feeling of being a real special forces operative is captured perfectly as you tackle the mission objectives together. Online camaraderie just doesn't get much better than this boys and girls.

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Graphically Rainbow Six 3 looks fantastic. Running on a modified version of the Splinter Cell engine, the lighting and shadows are simply beautiful. Ditto for the environments, which feature clean textures and realistic architecture. The weapons are perfectly modeled and the fire, explosions and other effects look top notch. The character models are well detailed, and the night and thermal vision are stunning. The sound is extremely well implemented, and the whine of ricocheting bullets and the roar of explosions truly immerse you in the game world. The music is understated, but used to good effect throughout.