The Super Mario Brothers theme has been sung by acapella choirs and remixed by the likes of DJ Qbert, proving video game music has come a long way since the early days of 8 bit plinks and plonks. Game designers now realise music is a synchronistic and intrinsic element to their games.

Whilst Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell Chaos Theory is not the first video game to have a soundtrack released alongside the games’ release, it is the first one produced on the Ninja Tune label, and is quite possible the best one to marry talent and mood flawlessly. Known for his sweeping, atmospheric sound, Amon Tobin simply nails the mood of the game. It is dark, edgy, and stunning.

From the guitar stabs of The Lighthouse, to the drum and bass styled beats of El Cargo, Tobin takes every sound, every sample, and perfectly recreates the world of super spy Sam Fisher. Tobin has been allowed to create the music in his way, and the freedom and attention to detail is simply perfect. He builds stress, tension and action with different sounds and ambience, without ever compromising his definitive and distinctive style.

Tobin has layered each tune to work by itself, as well as work in the game. Each track is almost a mini soundtrack, the mood changing as the track unfolds. Certain sounds and chords are looped throughout each individual tune, and also reprised across the whole album, making the album work on three distinct but intertwined levels – as a soundtrack, as a gameplay device, and simply as music.

As a fan of Amon Tobin, Ninja Tune, Splinter Cell and movie soundtracks, I simply cannot fault this album. Tobin has excelled in bringing his edgy, dramatic and intense sound and making it work as a game soundtrack as well as an individual artist recording.