From the Toysit archive
Rainbow Six: Raven Shield
A historical look at Raven Shield’s PC planning interface and team coordination, with a separate paper museum-opening activity.
The play at a glance
A plan becomes a sequence on screen
Raven Shield’s PC interface gives a player a map to study before entering its fictional operations. Colored team routes, a briefing screen and a final mission overview make preparation part of the game’s visual identity. This is an adult-oriented tactical shooter: ESRB rates Raven Shield Mature 17+ for Blood and Violence.
The planning computer
The PC manual divides preparation into named rooms. The Briefing Room supplies the situation and objectives. The Planning Room shows a map that can be moved, rotated and viewed at different levels. Red, green and gold team displays make the planned routes distinguishable.
Those routes are sequences of waypoints. A computer-controlled team follows its plan, while designated waiting points allow the player to coordinate when the next part begins. The final overview collects objectives, team composition and routes in one place. This description concerns the game’s interface and fictional scenario design.
Reading a historical game page
The earlier Toysit account describes Raven Shield’s story and development, then places it within the wider Rainbow Six series. The original image’s compact composition—title lettering above armed figures—matches that action-game identity. The full account below retains its period claims and later series discussion.
For readers interested in the design idea, the useful question is how a screen makes several simultaneous jobs understandable. Colors, named roles and a shared sequence can turn a busy situation into something a player can follow.
Make a museum opening cue sheet
This separate, peaceful paper activity imagines a small museum preparing to welcome visitors. Draw three role cards: a curator placing exhibit labels, a guide arranging a welcome desk, and a projectionist preparing a film.
- Give each helper two tasks. Place the cards in the order the tasks should happen.
- Add a “ready” card where another helper needs to wait. The film introduction, for example, begins when the audience is seated.
- Introduce one cheerful complication: a new exhibit arrives, or the guide is asked to add a welcome in another language.
- Rearrange the cue sheet and narrate the opening from each helper’s point of view.
Finish by naming the moment when the helpers’ separate jobs become one shared event. The museum story is an original Toysit coordination activity.
The historical record
Original Toysit coverage
The complete earlier product account and commentary are preserved below as historical coverage.
Squad-based tactical combat.
Command Team RAINBOW in a race against time, in locations ranging from England, Norway, the Caribbean islands and Rio de Janeiro during Carnaval to stop a madman and his doomsday plot. You are the leader of the elite, multinational squad of special operatives in Rainbow Six: Raven Shield. Rainbow Six: Raven Shield is the sequel to Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six: Rogue Spear, 2000 Action Game Of The Year, and Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six, 1999 Action Game Of The Year. It is the third game in the Rainbow Six line, which has sold more than 6.7 million copies worldwide as of March 2003. The Rainbow Six franchise is known for its action-packed game play and heart-stopping realism, and Rainbow Six: Raven Shield will continue the tradition. Developed by Ubi Soft's Montreal studio, in close collaboration with Red Storm Entertainment, Rainbow Six: Raven Shield features a brand new Tom Clancy storyline in which Team RAINBOW is led all over the world in a string of dramatic operations. The game will utilize graphics technology provided by the next-generation Unreal engine to power 15 new single-player missions.
The "Rainbow Six" series is a collection of tactical shooter video games based on the 1998 novel "Rainbow Six" by Tom Clancy. The series was developed and published by Ubisoft and debuted in 1998 with "Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six." The games focus on a fictional elite counter-terrorism unit known as "Rainbow," providing players with realistic, high-stakes scenarios requiring teamwork, strategy, and precision. Over the years, the series has seen numerous sequels and spin-offs, including titles like "Rainbow Six: Rogue Spear," "Rainbow Six 3: Raven Shield," and the massively popular "Rainbow Six Siege," which was released in 2015. Each game generally brings something new to the table, from advanced graphics and AI to refined mechanics and new operators with unique capabilities. "Rainbow Six Siege," for instance, emphasizes environmental destruction and cooperation between players and has become a staple in competitive gaming. Overall, the Rainbow Six series has enjoyed critical acclaim and commercial success, maintaining a dedicated fanbase that appreciates its tactical depth and realism.
Sources and editorial notes
The new interface description follows the publisher-hosted PC booklet, with planning diagrams reviewed on PDF 10–11 and related text on PDF 8 and 12. It does not import console, Athena Sword or Siege mechanics. ESRB’s exact record supports the audience statement. The original sales, awards and franchise commentary remain historical coverage. No gameplay or online service was tested.
- Original Toysit image — Existing same-site image reviewed and retained unchanged.
- Raven Shield PC manual — Publisher-hosted original booklet; selected Planning Computer, Planning Room, waypoint and mission-overview sections reviewed.
- ESRB Raven Shield rating — Mature 17+; Blood and Violence. The rating’s platform list does not establish equivalent gameplay across editions.
- Original Toysit coverage — Complete historical account retained, including its original claims and wording.
Images and descriptions are retained as historical material. How Toysit covers toys.
Created for Toysit by Tabbloza — the artwork in our header.