Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory (Prima Official Game Guide) (Paperback)

~ Kaizen Media Group (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

·Complete Walkthrough for Every Mission
·All Secret Bonus Objectives Revealed
·Discover Hidden Alternate Paths to Victory
·Killer Co-op Strategies
·Full Coverage of Every Version
·Learn Scores of Deadly Techniques in our Detailed Training Section

Product Details

• Paperback: 336 pages
• Publisher: Prima Games (April 5, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0761546057
• ISBN-13: 978-0761546054
• Product Dimensions: 10.8 x 8.4 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.7 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #357,342 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Okay but Lacking Detail, February 21, 2006

By	Jim M. (Virginia Beach, VA USA) - See all my reviews

For someone who hasn't played the game before, this book is a good one to help you get through it the first time. It gives some good basic pointers and discusses the weaponry and basic tactics. It is really more of a walk-through for first time players.

For anyone who wants a score of 100%, forget the book. It became quickly obvious that the author(s) didn't look past the obvious in each scenario. I found many ways in the stealth mode of avoiding bad guys altogether instead of knocking them all out or killing them (you lose 2% on your score per kill). Obvious ways around the map and ways of avoiding contact with the enemy (and resulting alarms or being spotted) aren't mentioned. Some situations have a very easy way out, but the author(s) didn't mention that - obviously because they didn't sit down at the game and try out all the possibilities.

The worst part of the book is the map section. There is no attempt to connect the various two-dimensional maps into the third dimension so you know, for instance, what ventilator shafts go where on different floors of a multi-level building. The map section was the primary reason for me getting the book and I was very disappointed. It wasn't as thorough as other Prima books I have purchased in the past.

Again, for someone just starting in the game, it is a great book to keep you from getting lost or frustrated. It provides you a way to complete the level. But after you use the book, play again and again, exploring other avenues of completing the scenarios. Do a quick save, then incapacitate all the bad guys in the area so you can explore it in detail. Then you can reload the quick save and move on. Every area has multiple ways of getting through them - some overt, some covert. Some are hard to find in the heat of battle or while hiding. That's where incapacitating, then exploring comes into play.

Chaos Theory is a great game. This book just doesn't do the game justice in my opinion.

13 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Now I know why I don't buy these things..., April 25, 2005

By	J. De Silva (Delaware, USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

...on a regular basis. After each mission, you get rated, one might think that a strategy guide would not only show you all the ins and outs, of a mission, but also how to get the 100% rating for it. There was sadly, very little useful information in this book. The maps and locations of things are nice, but that's pretty much where you have to put the book down and play the game on your own.
The book is setup for all the platforms that SC-CT appears on, but what the writers didn't take into account is how the game differs on each platform. Whoever wrote it, didn't play it on the Xbox, because the things he writes about, don't work in a normal setting. For instance, they never mention that the ambient sound levels drop as you progress in difficulty. Or they promote the use of your lethal attacks when that hurts your score. Not that it even gives good strategic advice there. When it mentions the cargo ship, it tells you to knock out the second of two guards in a hallway, and when the first guard turns around to see what's going on, you have a moment to shoot him. It never mentions that you could just shoot out the three lights in that area and silently grab each guard while they are standing around in the dark with no flares.
There are so many different paths in every mission, it is hard to cover them all. There are also a lot of things in each mission that don't change. For instance, it's always better to capture a guard and interrogate him, rather than sniping him from some distance off. Either hack everything you can or get a guard to open it for you.
Splinter Cell has always been a detail oriented game, lots of little things to pay attention to. To get the most enjoyment and playability out of this game, you can't go through any of the missions with your guns blazing. I only bought this because I was hoping to find out how to finish the Bathouse mission with 100%, and it didn't even help me do that.

5 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Bona Fide Work of Art, April 17, 2005

By	Richard L (PA United States) - See all my reviews

I have used a lot of strategy guides for video games. Mostly, it is a strictly utilitarian venture.

I have to say, though, the design of this book BLEW ME AWAY. It is AWESOME! It accomplishes its utlitarian purpose with flying colors, thanks to the excellent writing. Even in that context, the layout and the design were phenomenal. I really don't think I've ever seen a more well-designed strategy guide, EVER!

This book is so amazing, I would recommend it to people who aren't even going to play the game. It is really that good. The design transports you to another world. I am going to be especially mindful of Prima Guides into the future. They have won my loyalty with this book.