Very good. Many of the objects and enemies are used over and over again in Tenchu, but I didn’t count this as a fault. It all fits in with the time period that the game is based in; plus I would imagine that ninjas in the same clan would dress the same, just as would fellow employees in today’s world. I didn’t see anything in the game that was ground breaking, but everything works. The music is exceptional and moody, and fits the game well; the cinemas are top notch to boot.

Acceptable. Tenchu: Stealth Assassins is slightly reminiscent of Tomb Raider and Bushido Blade. I had some initial control issues with not being able to turn around easily as fast as I wanted to -- especially when I was in a heated sword fight with an opponent. If he gets past you, it seems to take forever to turn around as your opponent freely slashes away at your unprotected back. After you play for a while, the control seems better.

Tenchu is fairly difficult, but not annoyingly so. Players who have been conditioned for years in games like Mortal Kombat -- to run full steam towards your opponent punching and kicking -- will have problems in the beginning (as I did). You have to relax, think, and kill swiftly and intelligently. “Strike, and then fade away...” Sneaking around and stealth are key to surviving and completing your mission.

From the get go, you can choose to play the game or hone your talents in the training mode. Then you choose your character to play as: Rikimaru (the guy -- slower but stronger) or Ayame (the girl -- faster but weaker). If you are playing the Training mode, you wander through a dwelling sneaking up on various enemies, gaining points as you go along. (You’ll gain more points for killing an unsuspecting opponent than you will if he notices you -- plus he can shout to his comrades and your cover is blown). After your training, you will be rated on your performance -- from “Thug” to “Grand Master.” If you are playing the Game mode, you go on one of ten missions, such as assassinating an evil businessman. You’re given a brief background of the mission; you get to choose you weapons, and some very, very basic and vague mission parameters. From there on out, it’s all you, baby.