After that, it's action time. You begin your covert operations career leading your agents through the brilliantly rendered jungles of Northern Bolivia to rescue a military leader from a group of irascible insurrectionists. Succeed and you can look forward to more challenging missions around the world, tackling gun-toters in the frozen north, a trailer park, a strip mall, even a hospital. Blindly charging your foes in either mode works about as well as you would expect it to. Violence is mild by gaming standards, limited to a few heartfelt cries and a smattering of blood stains.
Essentials concentrates more on suspense, stashing assailants around corners and in the shadows.
Covert Ops Essentials may seem unusually demanding when it comes to mission planning, but the player feels that much more justified in pumping a few slugs into the enemy because of it.