Dishonored: The Knife of Dunwall is more Dishonored, for better and for worse. Actually, forget the "for worse" part, because it doesn't apply. I thought Dishonored was one of the best games of 2012, so of course, I'm very happy that we get to see more of this captivating universe. I'm even more thrilled that the original game was such a success. It deserves to be played, and it is being played. It's nice to see a great product get the support it deserves. But I'm getting ahead of myself: if you loved Dishonored, The Knife of Dunwall is a must-buy.

Dishonored: The Knife of Dunwall runs parallel to the events of Dishonored. So you don't play as Corvo Attano, the disgraced bodyguard of the Empress of the Isles. You play as Daud, the man who killed the Empress. Of course, Daud bears the mark of the Outsider, which means he controls almost identically to Corvo. However, Daud has a voice (provided by Michael Madsen). Daud has assassinated more than his share of noblemen and women, but he's not the stone-hearted prick you might have assumed him to be during the first half of Dishonored. No, Daud's deeds (particularly his killing of the Empress) weigh heavily on him. But he doesn't have much time to sulk about: the Outsider pays him a visit and offers him a chance at redemption. He gives Daud a mystery to solve, a name: Delilah. So over the course of three lengthy missions, you go about solving this mystery.

As mentioned, Daud controls nearly identically to Corvo. He has access to many of the same powers, though most of them must be bought with runes found in each area. Some of them are slightly changed: Blink, for example, stops time for as long as Daud remains motionless (or for as long as you leave the movement stick alone). This allows you to make adjustments during mid-air Blinks. Daud doesn't carry around a creepy mechanical heart, so Void Gaze is his tool for locating runes and bone charms. Perhaps Daud's most noteworthy ability has to do with the fact that he's part of a league of similar assassins; he can summon assassins to assist in combat.

There are a couple of new combat tools at your disposal. One of them is the Chokedust Grenade, which does exactly what its name suggests. Another is the Arc Mine, which has the same effect as a hostile Wall of Light. I personally always prefer the sneaky approach, but you have several options should things go badly.

Dishonored: The Knife of Dunwall is 800 Microsoft Points ($10). There's a lot to do in each of these missions: there's plenty of incentive to explore, lots of optional objectives to complete, and let's face it: it's just a fun game to play set in a world that is a joy to exist in.