For the past few years Rainbow Six has become one of the premier titles in special op stealth games, for the PC at least. Its console versions have failed to gain major interest in the past on the PlayStation, Nintendo 64 and Dreamcast. However, its PC releases and add-ons have always been successful; so it was only a matter of time we saw it return to consoles.

Whilst this version of the Rainbow Six franchise carries the "3" tag, it is not Raven Shield. It is its own game created with Xbox players in mind and the first Rainbow Six title under the Ubi Soft name, who have been on an incredible roll lately with great release after great release. Rainbow Six 3 combines a great online mode with a great single player mode (something another recent Xbox FPS online PC port title is missing completely) to deliver the total package.

In the single player mode you are put in the boots of Ding Chavez, who commands a four man Rainbow Six squad that deals with terrorist threats around the world, as quietly as possible. Fourteen objective oriented missions with amazing environments and locations await you, as well as another single player mode called Terrorist Hunt that has you barging through the levels to defeat all of the enemies. In a brilliant move, you are allowed to play these alone or in co-op mode via System Link, or, better yet, online mode. A split screen co-op mode would have been appreciated but it is becoming more and more apparent that the years of split-screen are nearly gone, thanks to the wonder of online gaming and leading edge technology.

Mission objectives vary but usually revolve around a bomb planted or hostages taken; now and then you'll come across different things, such as one level that challenges you to sneak through a mansion without being seen. Usually you'll have your four man team although some missions only allow you to take one or two. They are controlled using the black and white buttons to give instant commands, or you can hold A to get a list of commands that are on a rotation style wheel. Looking at an object and pushing A will activate the most common command, such as climb a ladder or open a door. However, holding A will list other useful tactics, such as open a door and flashbang, open a door and frag grenade, or breach the door with explosives, as well as letting you select to these commands when you say Zulu; meaning you can get them in position and take yourself to a new spot and breach a room together on your mark.. To make things more fun and interactive you can use the Xbox headset to give your troops any of these commands; sometimes you may have to repeat it a few times but screaming at your TV to stop or retreat has never been more handy offline. Solo-player mode comes down to your ability to give your team orders and work out certain situations; failing to do so will result in your team being killed, leaving you to complete the level alone, which can often times be very difficult.

Rainbow Six 3's controls are perfect, as they need to be for a game of this type. Everything is in reach and mapped out perfectly. My only gripe is that there is no quick switch to select grenades; instead you need to hold down the reload button (X), which brings up a list of all your weapons, similar to the previously mentioned command wheel. Like many Xbox games these days, Rainbow Six 3 shines the most when you play it with and against other people. I'm talking of course about the online mode - possibly the best online experience on Live yet, shooting wise at least.

Five modes are offered with up to 16 other players (although two modes are limited to only 4 players and some levels limited to 10 players). The first is Mission, which allows you and three other players to play any single player level in the game. Similar to this is Terrorist Hunt, which is just like it is in single player except with real players taking down the bad guys. The next two fragfests are Survival and Team Survival, which, as the name implies, is about surviving. The last player or team standing is the winner. Finally there is Sharpshooter, a 16-man free-for-all that features a time limit and infinite respawns; player with the most kills wins.

Surprisingly, left out is a Terrorist vs. Special Ops mode that we've been treated to in similar games lately. It would have been nice to have one team play as terrorists and plant a bomb, or take hostages, while the Rainbow squad obviously would have to put a stop to this, as in Counter-Strike. Why this style of gameplay wasn't included I don't know, maybe the developers just felt the game didn't need it, or didn't want any media backlash for letting players take hostages as terrorists. I don't really know but nonetheless the online mode is superb and a blast to play.

A variety of weapons are at your disposal, including a 50cal sniper rifle (which is looked down upon by a lot of players), a 50cal Desert Eagle, four grenade launchers (two lethal and two launching smoke), five grenades (frag, flashbang, smoke, tear gas and willie pete) and even breaching charges, remote charges and claymore mines. Other pistols such as the USP, SR-2, silenced MK23, MAC 11/9 and silenced 92FS are included. An abundance of sub-machine guns, rifles and other heavy duty weapons like the L85A1, G3A3, TAR-21, M1 automatic shotgun, M249, AK-47 and M16A2 are here for your enjoyment. Each weapon has stats available when choosing them, which is helpful and some have short descriptions. If that's not enough the loading screens randomly showcase one of the game's many weapons for extra information and history.

Of course, like every Live game, Rainbow Six 3 comes with downloadable content that is released over time. Expect new Survivor/Sharpshooter maps based on levels already in the game, such as Carnival and Garage, both of which are very cool. Other extras included are two game trailers (Ghost Recon: Island Thunder and XIII) as well as the ability to replay any cut scene from the single player mode, which are all very sharp and well done.

The level design in this title is one of the standout features; the areas vary in style and location and have a lot of depth to them, but not so much that you'll easily get lost. A few times through the maps and you should know the lay of the land. Many of the environments are very urban in style, taking place on abandoned streets in England or even training yards. Other maps include a Parade in New Orleans, a tropical mansion resort and a huge office building. One of my personal favourites takes place in a training yard of sorts, with two large sniping buildings across from each other and two other small buildings on the left and right. In the centre is a small hunt and scattered around are things to hide behind. There is also a large underground passage that spreads throughout the map, all taking place under a bright sun shining down on you as you listen to your feet crunch across the dirt and your gear rattle against your body.

If you haven't guessed, the presentation in Rainbow is amazing. The graphics are perfect; the walls have detailed textures, buildings vary in design and look, there are different surfaces to walk on that all look real. The explosions are top notch and so is the smoke left over afterwards. Your teammates and enemies are all extremely detailed and have a lot of gear on; their guns and grenades stay on their body when they aren't equipped. That's not all, either; characters' mouths actually move when they talk. This means when somebody online talks to you their character's mouth moves; it's a very small detail that just makes the whole experience so much better, even if it is a female voice sometimes coming out of that guy's body. Speaking of bodies, each time you die you see a different, random ragdoll style animation for the body when it falls; it is literally different each time and some are very entertaining.

Not only are the graphics amazing but the sound is just as great; especially if you're playing in stereo or surround sound. Explosions are huge, gunfire is rapid and intense, especially when you hear a bullet whiz by your ear as you hear a sniper fire echo from all the way across the map. Your initial reaction is to run away, hearing your gear clanking and your outfit moving with you as your feet stomp along a wooden surface, alerting another nearby enemy to your presence; which is apparent because you hear other footsteps coming from somewhere and when you stop you quickly realize they aren't yours. This is how Rainbow Six 3 is; it's intense and always so. If you're waiting in a spot for somebody to come into your sniper scope, if you're invading an enemy base, if you're in a stand off with another player screaming for backup it's always intense and it is by far the best Xbox Live experience yet.

The excellent single player game will take some time to play through, there are downloadable levels out already with more to come and the online play is a whole new experience... Rainbow Six 3 is the best Live game yet and a strong contender for Best Game of 2003; and it will be playable and fun for months and months to come... maybe even years. If Ghost Recon turned you off don't let it stop you; do not miss this game if you're a fan of shooters, action games, stealth games, or just games. Rainbow Six 3 is quite simply amazing.

Reviewed by Christopher Martin for AceGamez (All Rights Reserved).