It's a shame, I really felt that this game properly did a good job of translating the console/PC version's overall design goals into a 2D handheld game. It turned out to be a slow paced platformer that used simple stealth mechanics in order to make the player patiently observe their surroundings before making their move, which is very true to the series' ideals. Even the feel of the movement and combat feels authentically Splinter Cell: slightly heavy, deliberate. But the game just keeps making the game more and more annoying to play as you progress. There's a couple difficulty sections later on that can feel far too reliant on trial and error gameplay. The console/PC Splinter Cell had this too, but it's cushioned by the fact that quick saves existed, and there's more ways to cheese it. Pretty much everything from the Oil Refinery level onwards is poorly designed, with the game trying real hard to be a challenge. I finally quit at a "puzzle" in the second to last level, it doesn't make sense and the controls just kept failing me. But I still believe that the core mechanics here are quite good, so I might give the other Splinter Cell GBA titles a try anyways.