jducoeur

If you do play it, I recommend using a good sound setup. Sound was the pride and joy of the Dark Engine, which underlies both SS2 and Thief. Sound was treated as part of the physics engine, and the game plays fair: what you hear is what the AIs hear, so sound is important when you need to sneak around critters. It was by far the most advanced sound engine of its time; I don't know if anybody since has done it as well. (It's a lot of work for very subtle buck.)

You almost *can't* play Thief without headphones -- the sound is 3D, subtle, and crucial for gameplay, since you need to be listening both for oncoming guards and your own footsteps. A good deal of the tension in Thief comes from the "crap -- did somebody hear that?". (Notably, the game's tutorial spends a lot of time on "This is what walking sounds like. This is running. This is a wooden floor; this is carpet.")

It's not as essential in SS2 (the game mechanics don't depend on it to the same degree), but it's still relevant, especially if you're playing a less combat-monster character class. And in general, the soundtrack plays into the general creepitude of the game. If you like the full experience, headphones are worthwhile...