Oddly enough, Thief II: The Metal Age is widely regarded as having surpassed its predecessor, chiefly by concentrating more on stealth gameplay. This puts the current title, which may be re-named something other than just III, in much the same situation as its ION Storm stable-mate. On the other hand, Project Director Randy Smith seemed in a rather upbeat mood when we met, so maybe he has something up his sleeve. My current read is to anticipate at least a very good, focused game that also features top-notch visuals.