Ballistics Report

Pros

Gameplay
It's Thief. Amazingly, after years between titles and a development team that's half new, ION Storm has delivered a Thief game.

Graphics
A testament to the game's artists and programmers that Thief stands up well even with the player spending a lot of time looking carefully at minute details. A few annoyances pop up here and there, but they're exceptions rather than the rule.

Sound
Again - it's Thief. ION Storm has to be congratulated on delivering the full experience.

Story
It's mature, it's full enough to flesh out the world without becoming a crutch, and it's not bludgeoned over your head.

Cons

Player Attitude
Thief really depends on gamers playing the game the way it was designed, rather than taking advantage of all the mercy features.

Unambitious
ION Storm delivered Thief 3, not the next generation Thief. Arguably, they could have done a lot more. Sneaking games have gotten better and more complex since the first two - Splinter Cell is proof positive of that.