Argg! Splinter Cell Frustration!

I hate asking the board for help but this is bothering me. I've been out it for a good amount of hours now.

I'm at the Chinese Embassay, and I'm at the part where, after shooting out the lights in and crawling on the ceiling pipe in the big staircase room, I have to drop off the pipe and grab the guard so I can put his head in the retinal scanner.

No matter how precise I am or where I drop, I keep alerting the guard. All the FAQS I peeked at told me I am doing the right thing by dropping off the pipe, but it just doesn't seem to work for me.

This is the second day of gaming I've devoted to doing this and it wouldn't be so bad except for the fact that it's right before a save point and I everytime I alert the guard I have to repeat a good portion of the level.

Anyone have this problem or have advice about getting thru it. Or is this just me.

crap! and I lost my avatar too!

Well, I haven't played this game, but, does the guard have to be alive to do it? Why not just snipe him and pick up his corpse for the retinal scan.

Is this the first or second embassy mission?

mission is aborted when the guard is killed. I believe this is the second time in the Chinese Embassy.

Oh crap, I haven't gotten there yet! Maybe you can help me with something earlier in the level...

**SPOILERS**

When you drop into the embassy and have to go through the wall to where you can see the guards talking about frying the hard drives. I toss a grenade and it comes back at me. There also seems to be a hole in the floor there that I fall into. What did you do there?

i think you need to press up against the wall in the supply closet and slide down as far as possible. You need to go down a shaft and then shimmy thru another wall and you will progress.

Thanks much! :)

Well i dropped behind that guard and took him hostage with no problem.
just make sure your directly behind him and dont move while standing just press A.

There isn't much advice I can give here other than to shimmy across the pole VERY slowly, tuck your legs in, and do a silent drop _just_ behind him. If you do this correctly you can grab him just as the piano key sounds, or even better without him noticing you at all.

Above all, make sure you're staying silent.

SPOILERS :




The only thing I can imagine is that you're not doing the silent drop and just a regular run-of-the-mill drop off the pipe. Remember before you land to hit the crouch button to soften the landing and lessen the sound.

Otherwise, the only other thing I can think of is you're dropping too soon. You need to wait until the first guard goes into the room, after the colonel lets him in.