The box quite clearly says Hitman, and you can definitely see the familiar shape of 47's bald, tattooed dome, I do not feel particularly comfortable referring to this as a Hitman game.

Has a few decent levels; Contracts; Great visuals

Too mainstream - it has been diluted; No more disguises - you can play it as a stealth game or a shooter; Weak storyline

Seven years seems like an eternity if you're a fan of the Hitman series, because that's exactly how long it took Eidos and Io Interactive to continue the story about the infamous silent assassin, Agent 47.

The sheer amount of options when dealing with enemies; a lot of weapons on offer; the game is generally entertaining for both action fans and those who prefer stealth-based gameplay; great music and solid visuals

AI glitches spoil the challenge and the fun; squandered potential when it comes to the story; gets repetitive after a while

Decisions, decisions. What's the best way to kill a well-guarded man in a crowded public square? Should we sprinkle his sushi with fugu poison? Quickly push him down a convenient open shaft when no one's looking? Taint the drugs in his apartment?

+ Exotically executed sandbox scenarios give you plenty of tools to make a killing; + A lengthy single-player story with a surprising emotional center

? How can Agent 47 see through walls without fancy gadgets or X-ray vision

Hitman Absolution The last time I played Hitman was the original ten years ago. I missed the sequels and never got around to playing Blood Money, which I heard was one of the best games in the series.

Hitman Absolution right off the bat was something entirely different; The game is all about stealth and punishes you for using weapons.  It's a game you need to plan your strategy to get to the exit of the level, distract enemies and hide their bodies so you don't get caught.

The disguise system feels wonky and broken; If for example, you are in a crowd and you are dressed as a cop, then you shouldn't be suspicious to other cops; You are though, and the only way to stay inconspicuous is to either blend into the crowd, or use all your instinct to tip your hat and cover...

IO Interactive tapped into something unique in 2000 when Hitman: Codename 47 was released. There's always been this vision in popular entertainment of the well-dressed, urbane contract killer, and 47 emobodied that vision perfectly.

Elaborate environments overflow with murderous possibilities; Huge amount of content; One of the best-looking games of this generation; Contracts forces you to approach the same locales from different perspectives

Too-limited field of view when hiding inside of containers; Contracts would be stronger with more specific kill requirement possibilities

Square Enix and IO Interactive have brought back Agent 47 in all his glory in Hitman Absolution, the fifth instalment in the Hitman series. Once again we are given many choices in eliminating set targets – whether we go in all guns blazing or silently and stealthily or even take them out and slip...

Agent 47 returns in top form. Find out how deadly he is in our full review.

+ Tons of choice; + Lots of replay value; + Great presentation; + Excellent voice acting

Learning curve; Occasional wandering

Hitman: Blood Money was released more than six years ago, but I feel that it aged better than many games of its time, and this only made fans of this assassination series by IO Interactive more antsy as the developers spent years away from the franchise that made them famous.

It's been over six years since Agent 47, the bald Hitman with a barcode on his head, last went on a killing spree and, in the intervening years since, the game's industry has changed enormously.

Who left all these empty dumpsters around for me to hide in? Why does no one ever look inside them?

Sneaking around as a scarecrow while killing nuns is so surreal it's sort of fun

Having a guard 100 yards away see right through my disguise