Brief description:
I don't get how it's possible to actually like this game

Score: 3.5/10

The Good:
- textures and lighting effects look very real
- the sound does a good job making the game feel eerie, which kinda makes you feel like you in the game

The Bad:
- gameplay doesn't give you any freedom
- the controls are somewhat unresponsive
- the missions are extremely linear
- music does a bad job keeping you from being bored
- overall, it doesn't seem like this game was meant to be fun

If your looking for a game that gives you hours of fun, freedom of roaming around, and a nice sound track to listen to; then don't even think about wasting your money on this game.
At first glance, it looks like it has some promise, the training is strict; but that's usual for games. Then the actual missions come up and you realize it's not going to change. The whole gameplay is based on knowing what to do when the specific events come, you can't chose what to do, it's just 'do it, or die'. There is no replay value because the missions are very linear and you'll find that your doing the exact same stuff you were doing before (you know, just incase your actually wanted to play again).
The setting takes place in urban areas which is fitting for the game, and it renders very well too. The lighting effects are mastered perfectly and aren't just for show; they're a key part of gameplay, and the textures are sharp but a bit on the grainy side too. This all comes at a price though; everything has low polygon counts and the frame rate sometimes goes down a bit (but keeps the game playable and usually isn't noticeable).
There is no character development in this game and everyone's personalities just seem robotic and unisteresting. They try to give Sam Fisher (the main character) a bunch of macho labels, but none of them work because you'll find out that he just, well...empty.
They should have had a option were you can go back to the last checkpoint if you run out of ammo, because they don't give you very much in the first place and once you run out, the chances of surviving is close to none. That's because you can't do hand-to-hand combat and additional ammo is rare, so it pretty much means this game is bound to make you fail.
There are many other gameplay issues, but all-in-all, this game limits you in too many ways and keeps you from having any fun.