With the release of Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six 3 for the Cube, the game is now available on all next-gen consoles. You may recall that this game originated on the PC and has subsequently been distilled down to its basics with each transition from the Xbox to the PS2 and finally to the Cube. If you want to play the game the way it was originally intended to be played then you can't do any better than the PC version. The Xbox version is the best of the consoles both in terms of depth and graphics. Although the Cube version may be considered Rainbow Six 3 -Lite, it makes a good first-person shooter.

As a military-themed shooter Rainbow Six 3 delivers the action. There are not as many commands to issue in this version due to the lack of processing so while the gameplay may not run as deep with less strategy, the focus has been shifted to make this a challenging action adventure game with plenty of shooting.

Events take place in the real world using real world weapons, situations and physics. As the leader of an elite anti-terrorist squad, you will lead the five other Rainbow members on a series of single-player missions that include hostage rescue and destruction of enemy installations. During these missions there will be plenty of gunfire to exchange with the enemy which pops up in some of the least expected areas.

The campaign mode is linear and scripted which means that events take place at the same time and at the same place. Trial and error will often be the only way out of a situation. There are relatively few briefings or other indicators that will alert you to where the enemy is hiding - before they begin firing. An onscreen map will show you where the enemy is once the battle begins. It's better late than never. Some of the AI are crack shots and you can't take many hits. Teammates that die are out of the mission but will reappear in the next mission. If the leader, Chavez, bites the big one, the game is over.

Unlike the Xbox game you can't save anywhere. Checkpoints will automatically save your progress but they seem so far and few between. It's not easy getting through this game as events are very unpredictable the first time through. If you want to replay the game and require more of a challenge, you can replay the levels in the Custom mode which eschews the scripted events for more random ones. There is also a split-screen, two-player mode which works very well. It doesn't make up for the lack of an online mode but it does a decent job of conveying the excitement of working with another human that you can communicate with in real time. Teamwork is paramount because the game continues even if one of the players dies. It can be very boring waiting for your pal to die so you can play again.

The weapons not only look great but they sound realistic. Overall this version is probably the worst of the bunch with washed out graphics, stiff animation and an overall lack of special effects. But the weapons are the stars and there's no apologies issued for these little babies. Assault rifles, sniper rifles, machine guns and grenades are all highly accurate and deadly. The targeting reticle expands when you're standing still, auto-aiming at any enemy inside its parameter. Despite the absence of blood, taking out the enemy is still a satisfying experience for the most part. Some of the AI puts up a real good fight while others just take up your ammo as they run at you like suicidal bots.

Compared to other military games, the voiceacting in Rainbow Six 3 seems more realistic. There is not a lot of grandstanding or philosophical soliloquies from commanders, enemies or dying soldiers. The battle sounds are good but some sounds such as the heartbeat that gets louder as you lose health can be a real annoying distraction.

Rainbow Six 3 can only be recommended for gamers that haven't experienced it on a superior system - which would be any other system with the exception of the GBA. Since there has been so much hype about this series for years, the less you expect from this game the better you'll like it.

Rainbow Six 3 has been around for a while now and the PS2 version hit just last month. While the PC and Xbox versions received great reviews, the PS2 version seemed a bit watered down and graphically dull. The PS2 version also seemed a bit easier and just did not cut it. Now just as the Xbox version gets two new downloads Ubisoft announced the game will hit the GC. After the PS2 version, the big question is will this one be any better? We hope so and so do owners of GC systems everywhere.

Hearing the early reports, the GC version will feature the same Co-Op style of game play. This may not be a bad thing though since without any online modes the game may have some enhanced features. Although this is just all hopeful thinking, since not much has been released on this version. Knowing Ubisoft they have a few things in mind to make this GC version enjoyable. However, it's a safe bet that the version will still lack the intense features found on the PC and Xbox versions. Ubisoft has not said for certain whether there will or will not be online support. It's also just a guess that the levels will feature a few different things to enhance what cannot be included in this version.

Even the early screen shots leave some questions as to the overall game. One thing that is not a shot in the dark is the fact all the answers will be known during E3. So for know take a look at the few screen shots and we will update you on this one during E3.