ASSASSIN'S CREED 2
DEVELOPER: Ubisoft
FORMAT: XBOX 360
AGE RESTRICTION: 18
RATING: *****
Knowledge is power. So powerful, in fact, that throughout history, men have been prepared to kill for it. Power seems to bring out the worst in those in its thrall.
"http://media.z2.zoopy.com/video-offsite.swf"
Young rapscallion Ezio is about to get a dramatic tutorial in the base nature of the power hungry. It's 15th century Florence, and the city's most powerful clans are at each other's throats. Ezio's family is in mortal danger.
Secrets are like gold and Ezio has barely begun mining for the truth when he witnesses the dastardly execution of his father and young brother.
The chilling snap of the hangman's rope heralds the end of Ezio's womanising adolescence and ushers him into the murky midst of a quasi-religious conspiracy and the secret his father took to his grave. Tragedy has initiated young Ezio into a cloak-and-dagger guild of assassins and their ancient battle against the protectors of the Holy Grail, the Knights Templar. What follows is a video game triumph.
Ezio's quest for revenge leads him through the architectural wonder that is Renaissance Italy, lovingly brought to life here in the imposing chapels, austere cathedrals and sun-kissed piazzas of Florence, Venice and Tuscany.
Visually, Assassins Creed 2 is a work of art, and so who better to aide Ezio in his underground movement for retribution than a young Leonardo da Vinci, here finally afforded a platform on which his fantastical engineering contraptions can come to life. It is also fitting that in an epoch that embraced new ideas and ways of thinking, the developers of Assassin's Creed have broadened their horizons in terms of gameplay.
Outside the story arch exists a variety of missions, from simple treasure hunting, to a spot of empire building through town planning and the collection of taxes.
Family business, and we're nowhere near Corleone. Very Ye Auld Godfather.
These jumps in focus will test the full gamut of your gaming abilities. There's combat: gory and loud enough for those on an adrenalin drip, yet laced with the sophistication that allows you to disarm your opponent.
There's a nod to Prince of Persia: the game requires you to scale walls and scaffolding, but hides its treasures behind a series of platforming conundrums set to a dizzying attack of vertigo.
There's free-running: Ezio scampering along Florence's rooftops requires no tutorial, but relies heavily on attention to detail and precise button work when the chase is on. There's stealth: Ezio doesn't do much hiding, but his ability to blend into the crowd is often a matter of life and death.
He can hire courtesans and actors to provide him with cover, or create a diversion by flinging coins into a needy crowd. He's not averse to bribery either when the heat is on.
Back to the future though. Ezio is but a memory.
The real star is Desmond Miles - a bartender carrying latent memories of a blood-soaked past. But he's in the midst of a very real war and 15th century Ezio holds the key to Desmond's 21st century problems.
After the success of the original Assassin's Creed, the pressure was always going to be on once plans for a sequel were revealed. But, there are no sophomore blues here. Creed 2 is better, a virtual masterpiece. Da Vinci would have approved.