Splinter Cell: Conviction for 360 strikes gold

The long wait for Sam Fisher's return is almost over. Originally expected to launch in 2007, Splinter Cell: Conviction has finally gone gold on the Xbox 360, Ubisoft announced today.

While the next installment in the stealth action series will meet its previously announced April 13 launch date on Microsoft's console, Ubisoft has confirmed that the PC edition of the game has been pushed back yet again. PC gamers won't have to wait too much longer, however. Conviction on the PC is set to launch just two weeks after its console counterpart, arriving in North American stores April 27. A DS version of Conviction has also been announced, though it has not been dated.

Conviction is set two years after Splinter Cell: Double Agent, which saw series hero Sam Fisher become a fugitive from the FBI, NSA, and an alphabet soup of other agencies. In the course of investigating his daughter's death, the now-grizzled Fisher discovered that his former employer, the covert organization Third Echelon, has double-crossed him. Avoiding capture, he travels to Washington, DC, to uncover the conspiracy that led to his undeserved disgrace.

For more on Conviction, check out GameSpot's latest preview coverage.