Splinter Cell - First Impression

I rented Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory last night. Yeah, I'm kind of late since it has been out for a little while, but I am playing it anyway. I have only played the first two games via demos. I liked them, but it wasn't really my kind of game. Now, for some odd reason, I just wanted to play it. I was in the stealthy mindset. As I started the game, listened to the breifing, got on the sand, and killed my first two enemies, I thought "Wow. This is way better than Metal Gear Solid..." I went through and knocked out guys, whistled to make them fall into my trap, threw objects to make their attention go to another area, cut through tents to get right behind an unsuspecting victim, disabled lights to get through completely un-noticed. I felt like a modern ninja. I still haven't played any multi-player, versus or co-op, but I hope to get some in. These are just my first thoughts after opening the box. Does this game deserve a 9.9, as Xbox Magazine states? I will see when I get a full review out to ya after I finish it.