Rainbow Six Vegas 2 thermal scan trailer News

The problem with baddies is that smoke and doors and all the other things David Copperfield uses makes them hard to see. And if they have guns, that is bad. Thank goodness, then, that Rainbow Six Vegas 2 has given you a fancy new tool to combat this.

It's a thermal scan from your best friend the intelligence officer, and is displayed in the mini-map in the top right of your screen. Enemies show up as red dots, or pink if they're a level above, and you can see all this in action in our exclusive Thermal Scan Eurogamer TV trailer.

"A thermal scan can be used as an alternative to other gadgets such as the snake cam and thermal vision goggles," game designer Phillipe Therien reminds us. "You can use it to see what's in the next room, or if enemies are hiding in a cloud of smoke or dust." Those sneaky bastards.

Looks a bit like Pac-Man.

But, as with all really good army toys, there is a downside. "As useful as the thermal scan can be," continues Therien, ominously, "it only lasts a limited amount of time and cannot be recalled immediately after. This technology should be used in strategic areas that require more than just plain vision."

Head over to Eurogamer TV to see how this is done, then, or pick your nose and wait until next week for our review of the full game.

Rainbow Six Vegas 2 is due out on PS3 and 360 from 20th March, with the PC version set to arrive a little later on 17th April.