You have to hand it to the Tom Clancy franchise. Not only has games like Ghost Recon and Rainbow Six been a fan favorite on the PC but these games have also crossed over to major consoles like Microsoft’s Xbox and Sony’s PlayStation. Yes, these games have evolved on the various platforms, and yes, these new games made it to the PC but most of them don’t have that PC feel. Rainbow Six: Lockdown is such a game but then again not having it available would have been our loss.

One of the reasons long-time fans of the Rainbow Six series will be happy to see Lockdown on the PC is the simple fact that the multiplayer mode really rocks. We’re talking Counter-Strike-flavored multiplayer action with loads of weapons, interesting gadgets and - get this - your own customized character (change his or her own physical appearance). You can play on a LAN or online through ubi.com (all you have to do is set up an account). There are six game types: Team Adversarial, Rivalry, Retrieval, Free for All, Co-op Mission and Terrorist Hunt. Whether you’re clearing CPU-controlled terrorists with a group in Terrorist Hunt or a deathmatch-styled game, the multiplayer modes will keep you more than busy.

Of course, the game has a single-player campaign mode that introduces the usual Rainbow Six team as well as introducing new specialized operatives. You’ll assume the role of Ding Chavez, team leader, and you’ll be backed up by the usual team of Weber, Price and Loiselle. Yet joining the team is Raymond, Yacoby, Suo-Won, McAllen and Lofquist. While it’s good to see new faces on the roster, these new operatives don’t put their specialties into practice during a mission. Instead they add personality to the once two-dimensional characters. We learn that Loiselle is the team flirt while newcomer Yacoby finds a friend in Weber.

Once again there’s a threat that requires the Rainbow team to suit up and lock horns with a new terrorist faction. It seems that during what seemed like what was to be an attempted coup in South Africa, the team discovers that the terrorists’ real goal was to obtain an illegally engineered virus called Legion. Knowing a threat when they see it, the terrorists target the Rainbow team that is trying to discover exactly what plans they have for the virus and the world. It’s a tough situation that will have the team racing across the globe with better weapons and cool new gadgets.

The mission scenarios are pure Tom Clancy in that they’re plausible situations that specialized teams would have to face in real life. This is what makes the Rainbow Six games such a delight to play … realistic situations that set this game apart from other first-person shooters out there. You will be facing terrorists in outdoor settings as well as inside restaurants, a hotel and even on the rooftops of buildings or in the safety of a moving helicopter. For the most part the scenarios are familiar to any gamer who has played the past console games, but this time there are segments in the game where you assume the role of Weber, the team’s sniper. As Weber you’ll be covering your team from rooftops and even in a helicopter so you’ll have to be fast or your team could get wiped out quickly.

As Ding, you can outfit yourself with various weapons. You’ll have your primary and a secondary as well as different grenade types. You’ll still have your night vision and infrared goggles but you’ll also have motion-sensor device that will allow you to see through walls and doors. There are commands to issue your team that comes in handy. For example, you can have them ready to breach a door on your mark while you prepare to open another door that leads into the room. Executed correctly and you’ll take out a room filled with terrorists before they can react.

The keyboard and mouse make for a solid combination that work well with this game and issuing commands is simply pressing a few number keys. The system requirements ask for a Pentium 4 or better and thusly make for a smoother ride that hardly sees a hiccup or other framerate issues. The problem is that the game is blemished by its quick-paced missions and awful AI problems. Not only do the enemies range from sharpshooters to numbskulls (why duck behind a sturdy desk when you can duck behind a flimsy curtain), but your team is expert in getting themselves killed. While it’s funny to see them toss a flash bang grenade into a room and then blind themselves to the point that they get shot to ribbons the first time around it becomes an annoyance the third time it happens in the same mission.

Graphics-wise, the game looks really great on the PC. It even looks a bit sharper than the Xbox version if you’re using a good graphics card. Like most Clancy games these days, the series sees some amazing lighting effects complete with great shadows and great particle effects for the explosions. While sometimes the character models can look a bit stiff, it’s great to see good rag-doll effects handled this well.

As far as the game’s sound is concerned, though, the voice acting is great but the repetitive phrases that come from your teammates will drive gamers crazy. It’s not so much that they don’t stay put when you order them to but you’ll hear them ask for their next orders repeatedly. As far as the music goes it’s nothing we haven’t heard before. What does win big points are the sound effects. Not only is it nicely detailed to the point that you can hear water dripping from a pipe but the shells fly from your weapon.

In the end, Rainbow Six: Lockdown might not be a fan favorite on the PC even with its decent mission scenarios and fun multiplayer modes. The more nitpicky shooter fan will certainly not appreciate the game’s major faults that hold this game back considerably but die-hard fans of the series might want to give this game another glance if you’re looking for a solid multiplayer experience.

Gameplay: 6.8
Having taken a long detour into console territory, the Rainbow Six series just doesn’t play as well as it did back in its early PC days. The level design is not bad at all but the action is marred by some AI problems that make your fellow Rainbow teammates prove to be more a hindrance than an asset.

Graphics: 8.5
This game may not push your graphics card to the limit but it does manage to display some impressive visual feats. With great lighting, shadows and effects steal the show and while the character models look decent enough you’ll get a kick out of the good rag-doll effects. Environmentally speaking, though, some areas look rather dull.

Sound: 8.0
Be prepared to be constantly bombarded with the same question from your fellow Rainbow teammates: “Your orders, sir?” This is followed by the very repetitive: “Waiting your orders.” The voice acting is handled nicely and the music is classic Tom Clancy fare but it’s the detailed sound effects that will blow you away.

Difficulty: Medium
Enemies tend to pop up in all the right moments and will often take you by surprise but the most challenging part of the game is keeping your team from getting killed. While most of the enemies can really shoot, some just don’t know how to duck for cover.

Concept: 7.5
The tactical situations are just as interesting as past games in the franchise and adding segments in the game where you get to play as the sniper is a nice distraction. The online multiplayer is definitely a highlight that will be the reason you’ll play this one long after you finish the main campaign mode.

Multiplayer: 8.5
You can play online using a Broadband connection or LAN, either way this is the reason you’ll want to play this game. You can outfit your character and jump into any of the six game types that will have you teaming up with other players. Online the game flows beautifully, just make sure you own a good headset communicator.

Overall: 6.9
PC gamers looking for a good tactical shooter will be a bit put off by Rainbow Six: Lockdown despite its stellar online multiplayer action. While there are some seriously entertaining mission scenarios, the single-player campaign is marred by poor enemy and teammate AI as well as some straightforward levels that have you zipping through them way too quickly.