 Charles Harold of The New York Times called the game a " refreshing alternative to games that glorify violence " . He found its story to be " slight " , but he lauded its world as " amazingly alive " and its AI as a " remarkable impersonation of real intelligence " . Writing for GamePro , Barry Brenesal commented that Thief II " provides a solid gaming experience " but " doesn 't startle like its predecessor " . He wrote that its missions featured a " great deal of variety " , and he praised their " ability to casually suggest a much larger world " , but he complained that they were linear . He considered the game 's writing to be " among the best in the business " . While Brenesal enjoyed the game 's textures and lighting , he noted the low detail of the game 's human models , whose animations he found to be " arthritic " . PC Zone 's Paul Presley wrote that the game 's levels were larger but easier than those of Thief , and he considered their objectives to be somewhat linear . He found Thief II 's graphics to be dated and wrote that its lack of real @-@ time lighting " tends to give each environment a sort of ' false ' quality " . However , he believed that the game " still has enough atmosphere to immerse you " , and he praised its sound design . Presley considered the game to be a straightforward rehash of its predecessor , and he finished , " A more clear @-@ cut case of sequel @-@ itis there has never been . " 
