Thief: The Dark Project from Looking Glass Studios represents a fresh approach to the play of 3D action games. The original 3D and sound engines bring the innovative idea of sneaking around in the shadows within view of a perfect score. However, the game's few short comings keep it from getting a 10.

The basic idea behind Thief is almost the complete opposite of games like Quake and Doom. You are required to complete an objective in an enemy-filled level without letting them know that you are even there. This requires a lot more thought and talent than it sounds. Part of the difficulty comes from the fact that your player character, Garrett, is in no way invincible. It takes just a few hits from a sword to kill him.

Many of the levels in the game consist of Garrett stealing an object that is usually well-guarded. Sometimes this also entails avoiding an assortment of non-human monsters and beasts that require a bit of different thinking than you would need to avoid a few guards. In my opinion, these monsters are also the low point of the game. The initial feeling that I got from Thief was that it was all going to be about strategy, rather than just shooting. In dealing with monsters such as zombies, giant lizards, and huge bug things, I was either compelled to turn and run, or to kill them. Both actions are very risky since one can add an hour to a level, and the other can lead to a very quick death. Just the whole idea of using holy water to kill an un-dead creature left me feeling as if the designers were running short of ideas and stuck the monsters in to make up for empty space.

The actual levels themselves are excellent. They rarely get repetitive, and usually have a fairly consistent look to them. Homes have bedrooms and dining rooms. Churches have wooden confessionals and outer rooms to the main hall. Looking Glass does deserve an A for effort when it comes to thinking up interesting places to explore as a thief, and giving them all a unique look.

The sound is where the game really shines. Never have I encountered a game that can set the mood just by working with and mixing the audio in a 3D environment. Thief even uses a separate engine to just handle the sound. It also supports all the new hardware capabilities of the latest sound cards. Aureal support is included, and Creative's EAX is supported through a recent patch.

Playing the game with EAX was pretty scary. I don't think that I have ever been as jumpy in a game as I have been with it turned on. Just the echoing and subtle effects double the tension. I highly recommend playing the game with the hardware support turned on, but prepared to be turning around every two seconds to look for approaching guards since the sounds of the entire level echo through the complex, not just the sounds in the immediate area.

Thief's graphics are impressive, but I have to say that they aren't "ground breaking." They do the trick with the assortment of areas they are given. The city and industrial landscapes shine with the best quality. The underground cave settings also look good. The only time I saw a problem was in the forested areas of the game. I do admit that 3D forests are still in their infancy, but these just seem like they could have been replaced with something that the engine could do better. It really is only a small quibble though.

The gameplay in Thief is a very interesting and stressful experience. The stress mainly comes from the fact that you are not very hard to kill. If a group of guards find you and get in a few decent whacks with their blades, you're dead. Its that simple. No extra lives. Items that raise your health also take effect over a period of time, not immediately like most games.

The atmosphere that Looking Glass gave to the levels should be commended. Not only do the guards sometimes slack off on the job, they stand around and chat. You can listen to a wide range of conversations that the people are having with each other, people keeping themselves busy during a long boring watch by talking to themselves and whistling in the hall, and even rituals in the areas populated by the religious fanatics. Some of the stuff is pretty funny to listen to.

Overall, Thief is one of the best games I have played this year. It is also one of the few 3D games that I have seen that has tried to change what first-person shooters are like by bringing a good dose of strategy. The world of Thief is not just one of running around with a gun, or piles of dead bodies. The graphics are good, the sound is fantastic, and the gameplay is fun and original. If it weren't for the shortcomings in the enemies department, Thief could have been the best 3D game I have ever played.

System Requirements: Pentium 166 (200 w/ No 3D Accelerator), 32 MB RAM, Windows 9x, DirectX 6 & DirectMedia compatible (Included), 4X CD-ROM drive, Intel Indeo Video Codex (Included), and 60 MB of disk space. Supports 3Dfx and Aureal cards. Patch adds support for Creative Environmental Audio Extensions (EAX).

Tested on a: Intel Pentium II 400, 128 MB RAM, 20X CD-ROM, Sound Blaster PCI 128 (w/ EAX support), ATI XPert@Play AGP, a Microsoft mouse, DirectX 6, and Windows 98.