LordEmBob takes an early look at the upcoming sequel to the hit Ubisoft title Assassin’s Creed.

It’s been 2 year since Assassin’s Creed first came out and finally, after much anticipation, the sequel is almost upon us. The game continues shortly after the events of Assassin’s Creed, Desmond Miles is a prisoner at Abstergo Industries. The modern day Knights Templar Abstergo are using Desmond to locate powerful artefacts called "Pieces of Eden".

Lucy Stillman, a former researcher and fellow Assassin, frees Desmond and takes him to a secret hideout where you meet Shaun Hastings a historian and Rebecca Crane a computer expert who are also assassins. They ask Desmond to use their own version of the Animus so he can train his assassin skills and help fight Abstergo.

These opening exchanges are really just a prelude and the game really starts, as you enter the Animus and find yourself in 15th century Italy, as an ancestor called Ezio Auditore da Firenze. As you progress through the game you find your Family are victims of a political plot and your father and two brother’s end up being hanged. Before His father’s death, he instructs Ezio to go home and open a secret chest which he finds to contain assassin’s garments and a sword. After his Father and brother’s death Ezio’s stays with his mother and sister in his uncle Mario’s countryside villa, where his uncle teaches him how to fight. Mario Teaches him about the codex pages and eventually tells Ezio that he is an assassin like the rest of his family.

Your travels will take you around Italy from Florence to Venice and even to Rome where you will encounter many allies that will assist you on your journey including the famous Leonardo da Vinci.

Assassin’s Creed II appears on the surface to be a step-up from the original, introducing double handed combat and other more slick styles of evading those who want to do you harm. As the game progresses, we notice the enjoyment factor is a lot higher than the sometimes monotaneous and repetitive prequel though missions still sometimes lack variety. The storyline is as detailed and complex as before with a few twists and turns thrown in to dazzle the average gamer not intent on paying attention.

Gameplay wise, Assassin’s Creed 2 ticks all the right boxes, though once again it is a shame there is no online features to be found. The music can also be a bit lacking, but sometimes the subtle tones can added to the feeling of a stealthy mission.

In general, Assasin’s Creed 2 is a very fun game and in my opinion, brings around a series of big improvements over the first original, making it a worthy purchase in it’s own right. Defiantly one for your library of games even if you haven’t played the first one.