This is quite possibly the best stealth experience I have ever had. Thief 2: The Metal Age improves upon Thief: The Dark Project (or in our case, Thief: Gold) in every way imaginable. With a greater focus on grand medieval heists and a more focused story along with more polished gameplay this game is by far the best entry in the series.

Thief 2 begins some time after the events of Thief: TDP. What makes Thief great in terms of story telling is how fluid and well-paced it is. Starting the game by helping out a friend, then stealing enough loot just to pay your rent until eventually Garrett stumbles on a great threat and then an even greater threat pulling the strings from higher up.

Each mission can take you an hour or more to complete. The level design is superb: many rooms boast different types of surfaces which make varying amounts of noise with carpet and grass being the most quiet and tile and metal being the loudest. This game takes advantage of verticality with rope arrows and eventually vine arrows. You can really feel like a Thief when you set up a rope arrows on the roof of a building and lower yourself down to steal a highly valued item and them shimmy back up just before a guard shows up. Levels range from a bank, to a police station to a huge 6 story mansion to an underground base that houses a submarine. There's a lot of variety to be had when it comes to level setting in this game which is greatly appreciated.

Gameplay has largely stayed the same but with the addition of a few new gadgets and enemy types. After the events of Thief: TDP Garrett now has a mechanical eye he can make use of, he can use scanning orbs to make sure places are safe before continuing which is a welcome addition. The game also boasts many new enemies such a robots, security cameras and even more varied guard types. For example there are guards wearing thick helmets who cannot be knocked out with the black jack. The best you can do is stun them and when you hit them their helmet will make a loud noise and draw the attention of other guards, luckily these helmet-toting guards are easy to identify. If you disturb guards enough they will be on 24/7 alert. If guards see a pool of blood from you murdering someone they will search the area thoroughly and continue to do so until you are either caught or if you knock them out or kill them. The AI can vary to being absolutely brain-dead (hiding in the shadows and one gets close enough to smell Garrett's breath but doesn't notice him) to being way too sensitive (one step into a dimly lit room and they're already chasing you).Luckily this doesn't happen too often for it to be a serious problem but it does happen.

Lastly the sound design is superb. You can hear foot steps of enemies just as well as they can hear yours, you can hear them whistling and talking in a realistic manner. The ambient sounds bring atmosphere to the missions. Whether it be the whistling of the wind, the moans of undead, music at a party or people writing while doing paper work. Thief 2 has amazing sound direction.

This game is old and the graphics are dated with a few problems here and there. But the gameplay and atmosphere outshine all of that. I have never had a stealth experience that comes anywhere close to this game or its predecessor. The game does benefit from having a fan-made patch (brings modern widescreen resolutions to the setting, allows modding and playing of fan missions and fixes a few bugs) which can be found if you go to the guides section of the community page. It goes on sale often for less than 2 dollars, this game is worth every penny. Absolutely stunning, a must have.