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

Absolution – the freeing of blame or guilt, removing consequences and obligations. An interesting title for a game that scores you on how you kill people. Hitman: Absolution may aim to provide depth to its sub-heading through its firmly guided story, but on a meta level it removes consequences and...

Between speed runs, marathon sessions, completionist efforts, and miscellaneous extracurricular activity, "time" is a powerfully associative element to our gaming habit. If an adventure is too short or too long we feel cheated or exploited, regardless of the content therein.

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

After waiting over six years the new Hitman game might not quite be what fans of the series were waiting for. The game does have replay value and is quite enjoyable, but it lacks something. New features and storyline show promise of something very good as a sequel but this game just misses the mark.

Platform: PC (Reviewed) | Xbox 360 | PS3 When we here at Dealspwn first got a look at Absolution in action, we were a little worried we wouldn't have the assassination sandbox we had garrotted our way through in previous Hitman titles.

Satisfying and intuitive controls; Contracts Mode provides more of a traditional Hitman experience; When allowed; provides players with an enjoyable assassination sandbox

… but creativity with kills is somewhat limited in the single player mode; A ridiculous storyline filled with ridiculous characters; The Disguise system is mostly pointless

Hitman: Absolution was a bit of a mystery to me. I had no idea what the word Absolution meant in the title, but it refers to being absolved or completely forgiven for your sins.

Hitman: Absolution follows Agent 47, a cold-blooded assassin, who takes on his most dangerous contract to date. Betrayed by those he once trusted - and now hunted by the police - he suddenly finds himself at the center of a dark conspiracy and must embark on a personal journey through a corrupt and...

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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