Before Splinter Cell was a twinkle in Tom Clancy's eye, the stealth action genre was humming with activity, thanks in large part to its creator, Warren Spector, who bowled us over with Thief: The Dark Project back in 1998. Thief was a much different kind of action game--it was much darker, much slower-paced, and drenched with tension as Garrett slinked through shadows and wove around heavily-armed guards who could hear him rustling around. Well, it's now been four years since the release of the last title in the series, but Thief: Deadly Shadows is promising to give Sam Fisher and Rikimaru a run for their money.