When Looking Glass created the stealth genre with the original Thief game in 1998, it blew a huge raspberry to established first-person shooters such as Doom and Quake. These otherwise admirable games were a little one- dimensional when it came to the action stakes; if it moves, shoot it. Thief’s character, the wily and cynical Garrett, had to rely on his light feet and unobtrusiveness rather than his brawn.

This excellent follow-up has him almost totally reliant on his brains, which is just as well as the little runt would fare poorly in a scrap with Kate Moss. At first he appears to be a rather lazy fop, but once the game finally sparks you’ll be hooked good and proper. Thief: Deadly Shadows is peopled by the usual cast of characters — the Hammerites, Pagans, and Keepers.

Garrett is a former Keeper and his old colleagues want him to steal a few items for them. Quite frankly, the plot is the customary Dungeons and Dragons “in the haunted forest with the unicorn’s nosebag” hogwash but, given time, the tense gameplay will reel you in and the plot can be disregarded.

It’s the creepy atmosphere and the easy-to-pick-up-but-tough-to-perfect gameplay that most impress, and there are enough quirks and twists to ensure that you will do your damnedest to complete this compelling title.

Paul Connolly