1. A Tale of Three Cities

You're not limited to one urban locale. Three major cities populate the game, and you'll have multiple assassination targets and investigations in each. Acre, Jerusalem and Damascus are modeled after their 12th century counterparts, with liberties taken to emphasize stealth and fun rather than history. Finding the highest vantage points in each will open up gameplay maps and missions. To get from one town to the next, you'll travel between the city gates on horseback along dangerous roads. The streets of each burg are dense and complex, with a huge variety of citizenry, mercenaries, soldiers and other honest (and not so honest) folk.

2. Acrobatic Assassination

Prince of Persia players will recognize the combat system in some ways. There are nice touches that allow for a quick combination of offensive and defensive moves -- anti-hero Altair can bounce swiftly from throwing knives to deflecting and countering attacks. Combat works side by side with the game's high-climbing navigation potential, and you can also pull off classic moves like the drop-down kill. That one has a bad side effect: namely being stranded in a sea of enemies. Better to use the retractable stealth blade quietly and get away clean.

3. Medieval Parkour

Anyone who saw the Bond flick Casino Royale knows parkour; it's the free-running city sport originated in Paris, and it's also a good way to describe the exploration in Assassin's Creed. Since we first saw the game we've been in love with the ability to climb and jump on any surface large enough to grab a finger or foothold, and in practice the sense of total freedom is even more impressive. Simple analog stick movements do it all. You won't want to navigate a game city in the same old way after you get a feel for this one.

4. More Than Meets the Eye

Look beyond the confines of the game's three cities and you'll see a few odd things about the story told within Assassin's Creed. For one, there are those decidedly electronic HUD displays and the weird references to modern technology that you'll see when pausing the game. Combat also displays some techno-flourishes, and there are other telltale signs that your character isn't merely an assassin during the days of the Third Crusade. We can't tell you the real nature of the truth, but it is out there.

5. Social Standing

Not only will your own position within society increase simply by owning one of the fall's best games, your avatar Altair's position within society will constantly rise and fall during the storyline. Your standing can change during the course of any of the investigations that lead to assassination missions; these often require less than desirable actions like pickpocketing and roughing up informants. Guards can see your devilish actions or be informed of them; instead of running openly you'll have to move slowly among the crowd, perhaps posing as if in prayer to deflect attention, or even grabbing a seat on a bench between good citizens to hide while the guards dash by.