Ah the Cold War, a period in Earth's history best remembered for almost being its last, the closest we ever came to a full scale nuclear war. Not exactly a fun time to be living in then, with entire nations gripped by fear of the realisation that either of the two big superpowers of the time could launch their stockpile of atomic weapons at any given moment. On the plus side, the Cold War did prove to be an invariable source of influence to countless books, movies and games that followed since its end.

While not exactly an event to make light of, the secret battles waged between governments back then, as they spied and conspired against one other behind closed doors, has proven to be quite a popular source of material for many recent stealth games. Although many are set around fictional events, this is perhaps the first time a stealth game has used the Cold War as its setting and though it's a setting used to its fullest, the game wrapped around it isn't quite as successful.

Initially things do look very promising. The story is actually quite enjoyable and well scripted, with numerous comic book style cut-scenes playing out key events in between each level. It focuses around American journalist Matt Carter who, following a trip to the U.S.S.R., decides to try and spy upon a meeting between the country's president and a C.I.A. agent. A simple, routine story, but during the meeting Carter soon finds that he has stumbled onto a conspiracy to overthrow the president, before being framed as a C.I.A. assassin. What follows is a race across the Soviet Union, as Carter attempts to clear his name and reveal to the world the identity of the conspirators who set him up.

While the tale has all the hallmarks of a hundred spy novels, it is hampered slightly by some slightly off-putting voice acting, particularly that of the main protagonist, whose constant sarcastic remarks begin to grate after the first level. But, on the plus side, the story does provide the game with a variety of interesting locales, with levels that take you through a mausoleum holding the body of former leader Vladimir Lenin, a KGB prison and even Chernobyl. It's a nice change to the terrorist bases and dark underground facilities that so often populate these types of games. Another nice change is how Carter comes by his gadgets.

Instead of them being handed to you, the game forces you to craft your own tools from objects left lying around each level. Using a simple construction system, you collect files and folders throughout the game, acquiring construction points as you do so. The more of these points you gain, the more items you can construct and eventually you can unlock more useful tools. The downside to this is that you'll often spend more time searching for small items to gather and construct than actually using them, the upside being that you can make a nicely varied collection of tools to aid you.

These can be anything from non-lethal plastic bullets to a sling shot, through to a silencer, gas mines and a tracking bug that can be used to show guard positions on the map once attached to someone. It's a nice system that adds a little depth to the game, though while the ability to build your own equipment is an impressive feature, you'll doubtfully find much use for the items you can build due to the shoddy AI.

Sadly, the intelligence of the numerous guards and soldiers is severely lacking. It should be challenging, the guards should be unrelenting in their search once they discover you; they shouldn't stand around for a few seconds before giving up after hearing only the slightest of sounds. Even some of the distractions that you can cause fails to interest them. Guards rarely feel like much of a threat; unless they are directly facing you, once alerted they rarely put much effort into tracking you down. If not lazy in its job, the AI also has an unfair advantage as enemies can see in the dark, spotting you even in dimly lit areas and once seen good luck trying to lose them. There is not even a slight selection of hiding places that can protect you, as they immediately know where you are and hunt you down.

Added to this is the fact that it only takes a few bullets to die, which may not have been much of a problem were it not for the fact that Carter has little ability to fend off attacks. While Sam Fisher has no problem in killing his enemies should they venture too close, Carter seems to be without any melee moves to defend himself. Sure, he has a gun and an x-ray camera that can, for some reason, kill people, but without these selected he is very vulnerable to attacks, to the point where if someone starts shooting at you, it's a safe bet that you'll either end up half dead or looking at the load game menu. The game can be difficult, but not in a way that makes it fun.

Cold War isn't a bad game; there is enjoyment to be had, just not in the way you've experienced with Splinter Cell and Metal Gear Solid. If the AI was up to scratch and provided you with a challenge, then the game could have been contender. As it is, Cold War is an enjoyable, lightweight romp with a cracking story, great level design and a nice tool building feature, but those looking for a real successor to the current stealth gaming crown won't find it here.

Reviewed by Kieron Giacopazzi for AceGamez (All Rights Reserved).