Great gameplay, too.
Thief II continues the story of Garrett, who is still living by other people's pockets. The scenarios in this game are intriguing, from the start where you've got to aid your 'friend' in stealing his wife-to-be out of a house, to later missions that have you trying to get back home (a simple task? Wrong), listening in on conversations, and more.
People who are expecting typical FPS gameplay will die, and fast. In fact, the first mission ends if you kill anyone. Instead, you've got to use stealth and trickery, getting behind your opponents and blackjacking them, then hiding their bodies. You can put out lights with water arrows, and use a nifty gadget to see around walls with your metal eye. Garrett sucks mightily in combat, and if he ever encounters two good enemies at the same time that want his blood, he'll probably die. So you've got to learn to hide in the shadows and attack unannounced.
There's a little gem at the bottom of the screen that shows you just how easy you are to see. You can use this to judge if your hiding spot is safe or not. It may be a touch unrealistic, but hey, it works.
In each level, there are piles of salables. The funny thing is, no matter how long you spend in a level, chances are you didn't find more than half of the money. Even when you think you've scoured it entirely, chances are you missed something behind a tapestry or under a box. Part of the game's amazing replayability comes from this feature.
Another wonderful thing about the game is its length. There are 15 missions (or so the box says; I haven't quite gotten that far), and some of the missions took me more than two hours. So sue me; I'm a completist. Even 'rushing' through a level may take you more than 30 to 40 minutes, which is a bright contrast to the old 'par' times from Doom days.
There really isn't much new from the first Thief, but there doesn't have to be. This game is absolutely awesome. It has a great storyline (the sheriff is out to get you, and you don't quite know why) that keeps you begging for more, addictive gameplay, and great graphics.
