Video game:Microsoft Xbox Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell

Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell is a third-person stealth-based action game published by Ubisoft and available on the GameCube, PlayStation 2, PC, Xbox, and a number of other console and mobile platforms. Initially released for the Xbox in 2002, Splinter Cell became the first entry in the now iconic series.

Unlike other games associated with Tom Clancy, the author did not create the Splinter Cell series, but merely endorsed it. The game focuses on the main protagonist, Sam Fisher, a former Navy SEAL recruited by the NSA into a new division called the Third Echelon. The division tasks Fisher and his team with covert missions relating to terrorist activities, which leads the gameplay to focus completely around stealth. Many missions take place at night, which factors in the importance of light and dark. Players must attempt to stick to the shadows whenever possible, and so actions such as shooting out light fixtures to darken an area become a common activity. How much sound players make also factors into their stealth concerns. Walking and running create a lot of noise, which can lead to detection, while crouch-walking provides a quieter means of progressing from point A to point B. Being detected by guards or security cameras raises alarms; this puts enemies on alert, but, depending on the requirements of the level, can also result in a failed mission entirely if the player is not permitted to be detected even once.

Players often face other restrictions throughout the game, such as not being able to use lethal means against enemies. In response to this, Fisher often goes into each mission with an arsenal of nonlethal weaponry and gadgets. Ring airfoil projectiles, sticky shockers, and various stun and gas grenades can all be used to incapacitate an enemy. A more resource-efficient approach involves getting behind enemies undetected and knocking them unconscious. Whether the player uses lethal or nonlethal means, the body must be hidden somewhere where other enemies will not see it. If a body is discovered, it triggers an alarm as well.

Splinter Cell enjoyed success with both critics and gamers, receiving high review scores on release and selling millions of copies across several different platforms.