Review: Cinematic thriller 'Assassin's Creed' hits the mark

If you ever doubted a video game could deliver a movie-like experience, pick up Ubisoft's "Assassin's Creed" for an adventure so engrossing it should've come with a crowbar to pry yourself away.

Designed for the Microsoft Xbox 360, Sony PlayStation 3 and PC, this intense and near-photo-realistic action game lets you play as a retired assassin who is sent back into action in the late 12th century, when the Third Crusade is raging across the Holy Land. You are Altair, whose task is to suppress the hostilities on both sides with stealth and precision.

But how you stalk and approach your target, perform the task at hand and exit the scene safely will vary from player to player. This is because the authentically re-created cities you'll be visiting -- such as Jerusalem, Damascus and Acre -- are open-ended and bustling with citizens. At the start of the game you'll learn how to blend in with crowds, scale buildings and end confrontations quickly with a concealed dagger.

It's not just about violence in this game, though -- other missions include pickpocketing and reaching the top of a high building to survey a scene.

You will no doubt be amazed the first time you find yourself perched on a rooftop, staring at a sea of people making their way through cobblestone streets -- especially when you realize this world is interactive. How should you assassinate your target when he's giving a speech to a bunch of onlookers? Take out the guards first one by one? Cause a distraction on the street before subtly making your way to the target with dagger in hand? Approach from the rooftop behind him, drop down and then try to run away after the deed is done? Try throwing a knife from afar?

The game's wide-screen presentation and high-definition graphics are only outdone by its smooth character animation, dialogue (including a female character voiced by "Heroes" and "Veronica Mars" star Kristen Bell) and Hollywood-style music soundtrack -- composed by British Academy Award-winner Jesper Kyd -- that changes depending on what's happening onscreen.

The comparison of "Assassin's Creed" to the "Prince of Persia" and "Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell" games is inevitable -- and understandable, too -- given the fact that these two popular game franchises are also from Ubisoft Montreal's world-famous studio. Altair's acrobatic moves, such as hopping from building to building or balancing on beams, are straight out of "Prince of Persia," while creeping through environments to kill targets is like the infiltration and spy scenes in "Splinter Cell."

Some players, however, might be disappointed that the combat in "Assassin's Creed" isn't as fleshed out as in past Ubisoft Montreal games. Perhaps to make the game more accessible or to focus more on the planning and exit strategies, the action sequences in "Assassin's Creed" are simply well-timed button presses, rather than deep-combat control schemes.

That said, "Assassin's Creed" is an imaginatively conceived and wonderfully executed single-player adventure that should take a good 10 hours to complete, and more than double that for the optional side missions.

Mature gamers in search of a beautiful, exhilarating piece of interactive entertainment will be more than pleased with this hard-to-put-down adventure. E-mail to a friend