One sure sign of a great videogame is if you turn off your console, but still feel as if you’re living inside the virtual world you’ve been exploring. And after 10 minutes free-running across the crumbling rooftops of ancient Venice in Assassin’s Creed II, every ledge, windowsill and drainpipe you see in the real world will become a potential handhold to help you perilously scuttle up walls like a chimpanzee.
Building on the shaky foundations established by the original game, Assassin’s Creed II fully realises the potential of the action-packed licence and addresses all criticisms levelled at the series, offering players richer, more realistic cities to explore that bustle with life and colour, a wider variety of missions which rarely become repetitive, and a less linear approach to storytelling that gives you more control over your digital destiny.
But while experienced players will adore the game’s rhythmic, almost hypnotic control scheme that allows you to scale buildings and battle enemies with balletic grace, greener gamers will struggle to get to grips with the complicated tangle of buttons and may give up before they’ve seen the myriad treasures this ambitious adventure has to offer.
See how Assassin's Creed II did on our list of the 100 greatest games.