Back when stealth games were new, Thief took a back seat to more high-profile titles but managed to build up a cult following that made its first sequel a major hit. Deadly Shadows, therefore, comes to us with a bit more hype than earlier Thief titles — something accentuated by the fact that it shares an engine with the recent hit-of-sorts Deus Ex: Invisible War.

That engine is the most troublesome aspect of Thief: Deadly Shadows as it shares some of the bugs and onerousness of Invisible War. Despite having a system a good 50% above the recommended system across the board, Thief: Deadly Shadows featured a good deal of mouse lag and frame drops along with some odd collision detection and some truly weird A.I. behavior. Despite the technical issues, the game is enjoyable for a number of reasons, not the least of which is the polished to perfection stealth aspect.