Rainbow Six 3 finally finds its way to the PS2. Scot heads on in…

Remember when everyone heard that Splinter Cell was going to be ported to the PS2? Oh, how we all laughed. Everyone was half-expecting the kind of graphics to make Doom look revolutionary again. Yet, when new screenshots emerged of Ubisoft's tactical stealth-'em-up, hats across the country were soon on dinner plates, ready for immediate consumption. Expectations were high then when it was announced Rainbow Six 3 would be making its way onto the PS2, and while things haven't quite worked out like they did for Splinter Cell, it remains to be an enjoyable shooter quite like nothing else available for the console.

The main problem with Rainbow Six 3 is nothing to do with the gameplay at all. No, the real problem is with the PS2's aging hardware. Unfortunately, for a game that was originally designed for the Xbox, Rainbow Six 3 has not translated well to Sony's technologically-limited console. Yet, you'll be totally oblivious to this fact if you've never seen the other versions of the game in action. The PS2 version may suffer from some unholy slowdown in places, as well as some murky, bland texture work, but none of this actually deters what normally remains a perfectly playable game. It's just that those who do know better will have no motivation whatsoever to even think about picking it up.

You play as Ding Chavez, who veterans of the series will immediately recognise from previous outings. The gameplay is actually slightly more action-orientated than earlier games in the series with tactics being played out while on the move instead of discussed before the mission using a complex series of lines and triangles. Did anyone actually get any enjoyment out of moving those things around?

Fortunately, commanding your team during a mission is efficiently simple. Pressing the action button will send your team to that location, while pressing it over an interactive object will have them perform a default action on it. Pressing and holding the action button will bring up a list of commands, each with a different function for the team to perform. For instance, placing your crosshair over a door and holding the action button will give you the option of allowing your team to open and clear the room, flash the room beforehand, throw a grenade in beforehand or breach the door before entering.

It's this accessibility that makes controlling your team without a headset a doddle. Of course, if you do have a headset then for the most immersive experience it would be advisable to make use of it, but for those without such luxuries, this system works just the way it should. Unfortunately, your team do display a lack of intelligence in certain areas - failing to take down the terrorist with the rocket launcher upon entering a room, choosing to focus their fire on one with a semi-automatic instead - but overall, their ability to follow orders can be commended.

It's also worth noting that while Rainbow Six 3 may have abandoned its hardcore tactical roots, it hasn't simply turned into an all-out action game either. Rushing into rooms without considering just what might be behind the door will rarely ever pay off, while leaving your team behind and going at it alone will see you heading straight for a premature death. A "Zulu" command allows you to tell your team when to go ahead with certain actions, allowing you to storm different entrances of a room simultaneously. Tactical advantages here are obvious - while terrorists are distracted by the loud explosion following the breach of one entrance, you can pop round the corner and take them out without warning from the other.

The PS2 version contains one extra mission that the Xbox crowd will have missed out on, but overall, the remaining missions all generally play the same. I say generally though, because while the mission objectives are all lifted from the Xbox version, the environments they take place in have all been stripped-down in order to run on PS2 hardware. This is ultimately where the game falls over, since where the Xbox version featured a gloriously-detailed graphics engine, the PS2 one looks somewhat dull in comparison. On top of that, the frame rate is temperamental, occasionally dropping below adequate levels.

And it's a crying shame, because when Rainbow Six 3 does run without hitches, it's one hell of an enjoyable game. The tension of the Xbox version is definitely there, but the lacklustre engine prevents it from really hitting the higher levels of atmosphere it could have. It ultimately falls on whether you've played the Xbox version, because if you're new to the series, or indeed just Rainbow Six 3, these changes won't be evident to you.

Unfortunately, if you've already played Rainbow Six 3 on the Xbox or even the PC, you're almost certainly going to be disappointed with this version. That's not to say it's a bad game - this PS2 version plays almost identically to the other formats - but poor presentation and an erratic frame rate make it hard to recommend over its counterparts. If you're interested in Rainbow Six 3 and have either a PC or an Xbox, you're better off picking up a copy for either format. If you have neither though, the PS2 version is a respectable port that could well be worth your time. Just don't expect to be playing it in its intended form.