While the PC as a gaming platform isn't quite death-bed bound as often made out, times are definitely changing. It used to be PC versions of multi platform games typically saw release first, or at least the same day as their console counterparts, but the trends these days are starting to show a distinct shift in the opposite direction with PC versions of games routinely put off for months before seeing release. One such title in recent times is Ubisoft's Assassin's Creed. Debuting on the PS3 and 360 in November last year, Assassin's Creed received largely positive reviews and a warm reception by console fans worldwide, creating a popular new name in gaming for Ubisoft. Now on the PC a few months later with improved graphics and a few other new additions, Assassin's Creed, or Assassin's Creed Directors Cut Edition as it is known on the PC, actually feels quite at home on its latest platform, but most of the criticisms we saw on the console remain.

In case you're not already familiar with the basic storyline behind this game, let me give you a brief run down. Assassin's Creed takes place in 1191 AD, where tensions are brewing between Christians and Muslims over control of the Holy Land, forming the Third Crusade. In this conflict exists a faction of assassins, who seek peace across the Holy Land. Peace comes at a cost though, and this cost is the lives of men in power who wish for the conflicts to continue. That is, of course, where these assassins step in, one of which goes by the name of 'Altair' - the human controlled character. As the star pupil of the assassins, subject to much envy from many of his colleagues, Altair bites off more than he can chew on one eventful day and is forced to face the consequences, losing all rank and privileges in the process, requiring him to earn his way back to the top. As I'm sure you've already guessed, this is the point where Assassin's Creed hands control over to the gamer and the storyline starts to flesh out in its third person 'action game' perspective.

But the story doesn't end there. While I won't divulge too much information for obvious reasons, there is a huge twist in this game you are privy to very early on which involves significant time shifts backwards and forwards in the storyline, from the troubling times of 1191 to the somewhat equally troubling modern times of today. When you experience this twist for the first time - and if you're lucky enough to not have had it already spoiled by now that should be the case here with the PC version - you can't help but be floored by the scope of the storyline, and that's before you even know all the details. The game does a very good job of gradually revealing itself.

This is both good and bad. Good because the slowly but surely developing storyline really keeps you hooked from start to finished, but bad because the same can be said about the gameplay, and how it reveals itself. At first, Assassin's Creed seems so dynamic and open, like you were plucked from your chair and dumped into this world yourself. The streets are bustling, the three brilliantly rendered and implemented cities of Acre, Damascus and Jerusalem are alive and buzzing, and the freedom to play the game at your own pace is pleasing. Then you've got the awesome capabilities of Altair, capable of scaling even the game's highest peaks with his uncanny ability to climb and swing his way across roof tops and ledges, like he was Tarzan. There is no doubting that initial impressions with Assassin's Creed are rock solid.

However, as you begin to actually dig in and start progressing in the game, gradually you start to realise a few unfortunate truths, such as the game's limited content. While there is a lot to see and gawk at in Assassin's Creed, there really isn't a lot to do other than the inbuilt missions. The point of open ended gameplay is meant to be offering gamers plenty to do and experiences perhaps not always relating to the primary storyline itself. Maybe you have a few side missions. Maybe you introduce some character customizing elements. Maybe you introduce some sort of buy and sell system, or at least some sort of item and inventory system. At the end of the day, while gamers may each take the same fundamental path, having some sort of personal twist along the way is vital, and Assassin's Creed fails to address this. While the game lets you start and conduct missions on your own accord, when all you can do otherwise is run around and explore the environments (which does offer a short thrill), the purpose in handing total control over to the gamer is somewhat lost. The game does offer extra activities in the form of finding hidden flags and helping out citizens from the overzealous authorities, but these have a minimal impact at best.

Another unfortunate truth you will most certainly catch onto is Assassin's Creed can be very repetitive and pattern driven, and I'm not just talking about one or two gameplay elements here - this covers just about every facet of the gameplay. When you first arrive at the location of your current assassination target, you must first research your target. This is done by completing a set number of 'investigation missions' around the city, which themselves are unlocked by climbing view points scattered around the map. These investigations play out somewhat as mini-games - they vary from pick-pocketing and interrogating, to eavesdropping and collecting so many flags in so many seconds, and more in between. This sounds fair enough, but the problem comes with the fact this same routine is recycled time and time again for just about every assassination attempt you make. Soon enough, the game gets in this rut where you're doing the same things over and over again with little variation. While the PC version actually does include four new investigations which do help to some degree, ultimately they don't offset the repetitive feel of the game at all. For what seemed at first to be a very open game, Assassin's Creed actually plays far more structured and linear than you'd think.

But it doesn't stop there. The atmosphere the game creates, which is perhaps its strongest initial selling point, also quickly starts to show some repetitive tendencies. Take the verbal interactions between civilians that you hear, for instance. I swear the game must have only five or six recorded statements people in these cities make. From the ramblings of a poor woman begging for money, to the taunts of a guard accusing a peasant of stealing, you'll hear just about everything in this game a few hundreds times before it's all said and done. Furthermore, the game's AI can be rather patchy at times, with guard reactions ranging from robotic smart to brain dead stupid, although it is claimed some AI work was done with the PC code and this does appear to be the case - further improvements would have definitely been welcome though as the game still comes off as shoddy in this regard far too often, and the impact on the game's atmosphere suffers as a result.