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I got a bit distracted, but I promised that the next post would concern Assassin's Creed and so here it is. There are some things to dislike in it, as can be seen from the various low-scoring reviews, but overall the game does an excellent job of immersing you in a world and then giving you mastery over it. In particular, Altair's animation is superb and climbing in particular feels very realistic. I found myself able to forgive the repetitive objectives because I was just enjoying being in the world. It is definitely a game that does the little things right and with great attention to detail.

The setting, unfamiliar in a videogame context, is a key part of the immersion - the bustling streets of 12th century Damascus, Acre and Jerusalem are far more interesting and vibrant than any number of deserted moon bases and post-apocalyptic wastelands.

Some people have criticised the combat, but I found that as soon as you get the short blade back, things really open up with brutal counterattacks allowing you to finish fights in seconds. I've left the game having completed about a third and will return to it in the New Year.