Sniper: Ghost Warrior Contracts is smaller in scale, but overall a definite improvement over the lacklustre previous entry in the franchise. A diverse set of levels, a lot of weapon variety and - last but not least - great sniping gameplay are the main reasons to give this title a chance.

We are facing a niche game that stealth fans will appreciate. Although Sniper Ghost Warrior Contracts knows very well how to take advantage of the ingredients of its formula, it fails to fully meet the expectations we would have for a title of its kind.

Sniper Ghost Warrior Contracts offers a realistic but at the same time imperfect sniper experience. The improved mission system creates a balance between freedom and potty wandering. However, the difference per difficulty level is too large.

Sniper Ghost Warrior Contracts has good ideas, but displays a number of drawbacks that can cause the work to choke a little, such as AI, camera movement or shooting sensation.

While it's shooter mechanics and open mission structure, make the game fun to play. There are also plenty of technical flaws or poor design choices that ruin that same fun experience. Glitchy maps, weird AI movements and a poor story make this shooting adventure feel mediocre instead of great.

While making a tricky headshot is always satisfying, the environments, enemies, tasks, and plot simply don’t grab your attention in the way they need to. It doesn’t help that the dull enemy dialogue, where present, has a tendency to loop if you linger nearby. AI is greatly improved from the last game, but there are still line-of-sight issues. Ultimately, the experience doesn’t have the tension of Sniper Elite, nor the ingeniousness or replayability of Hitman. Sadly, SGWC misses its mark. [Issue@#171, p.92]

The end result is disappointing and frustrating.