Sound-man Eric Brosius? He'd have been burned as a witch.

It's probably the scariest level ever made, an experiment in non-linear storytelling methods that pays off handsomely and a towering achievement for games. While The Cradle is based on Thief's shadow-stalking mandate, and a clear extrapolation from the first Thief's seminal Return to the Haunted Cathedral, it has amplified its source material to become something quite different. It's what's known in television parlance as a 'format breaker'-something that subverts many of the set expectations of the show to stir the critical palette into new life. The Cradle is the penultimate level in Thief: Deadly Shadows. Your head pushed beneath murky waters until you choke and drown. If The Cradle is about anything, it's immersion. To be immersed is to be surrounded and submerged, thrust into a new context. People bandy the word 'immersive' around when discussing videogames, but miss the subtext of what they're really talking about. Running from The Cradle is like running from the air around you. The interview with Jordan 'Null' Thomas, The Cradle's designer, should be safe. The mapped section should be viewed in the same way as a walkthrough for a game you haven't played. If you've never played The Cradle, but plan to… be careful. If you've never played The Cradle, and have no plans to ever do so, then rush right in, and more fool you. The secrets and hidden stories of this house of hell are explored, analysed and constructed into something that will hopefully enhance and illuminate the experience you've had. If you've played The Cradle-Thief: Deadly Shadows' centrepiece level- then don't hang back.

The following forms a journey into one of the most brilliant and disturbing levels ever committed to PC.

The shadows between