In the resulting confusion, the terrorists manage to capture the entire First Family, and are demanding the release of their leader (the dictator) in exchange for the safe return of the president.

The game uses a rifle that is mounted on the console, requiring players to physically alter their position in order to shoot accurately.

Certain stage areas are dark and require players to use night vision scopes to spot and shoot opponents.

Points are scored based on where an opponent is hit, multiplied by the number of successful shots the player has made.

The initial console ports of Silent Scope received moderately positive reviews from magazines of the time.

[9][10][11] Brett Alan Weiss of AllGame said the arcade version was "a blast to play, though a few more realistic sniper missions would be nice.

"[12] Major Mike of GamePro said of the PlayStation 2 version in its November 2000 issue, "In a field devoid of competition, Silent Scope is a strong first-generation offering and a picture-perfect arcade conversion.

"[44] Randy Nelson of NextGen said of the PS2 version, "It's not groundbreaking, but it's a solid shooting game with unique play mechanics.