Hands on with Assassin's Creed II: Discovery on iPhone

The renaissance ushered in a new way of thinking that changed the world.

Antiquated ideas were renewed and reconfigured to fit the times much in the way Assassin's Creed II: Discovery hopes to be reborn on iPhone.

Transposing a number of improvements and enhancements to the DS original, this timely iPhone remake promises to embellish old gameplay with fresh features.

Assassin's Creed II: Discovery picks up from the events of the console title where Florentine assassin Ezio Auditore learns of Rodrigo Borgia's Templar cabal to control Europe.

Following him to Spain, Ezio becomes embroiled in a war with the forces of the Inquisition and their Templar supporters. The appearance of a mysterious French assassin only serves to complicate the situation further.

Fortunately, Ezio knows just the means by which to deal with these problems: the hidden blade. Through the course of the lengthy 35-plus mission story, you guide Ezio across Spain assassinating Inquisition figures and Templar operatives inthe hope of restoring peace and order.

It plays like a combination of Kroll and Canabalt. Side-scrolling action meets free-running - it's a sophisticated mixture that comes paired with equally clever gameplay mechanics.

A horizontal slider at the bottom-left controls Ezio's movement, while three buttons situated in the opposite corner allow you to dictate jumps, attacks, and stealth manoeuvres. The slider has to be held down to move - it doesn't hold steady - so it essentially acts as a horizontal D-pad.

Momentum is crucial when leaping over rooftops, swinging through rafters, and climbing up walls. As such, levels are often a matter of timing jumps to keep Ezio's running speed at a maximum in order to land long jumps and clamber up tall towers.

The platforming is surprisingly dynamic, and often the game responds contextually without the need to press a button. Hanging from the edge of a wall, for example, is as simple as pressing the slider in the corresponding direction. Wall jumping is made easy thanks to the 'jump' button contextually changing whenever you scramble up a vertical surface.

Mastering these platforming techniques will be essential when tackling the game's chase missions - these have you racing to safety or running after another character - but there are other scenarios that require different approaches.

Assassination missions, for instance, demand stealth. The button on the right side of the screen with the eye symbol puts Ezio in stealth mode, which allows you to track enemies off-screen.

By monitoring enemy movements, you can sneak up on them and assassinate using the hidden blade. Should an enemy catch sight of you too many times during these missions, it's Game Over.

Normal missions combine action and free-running without the need for stealth. It's naturally easier to get through a level without alerting guards, but Ezio's sword enables direct combat with taps of the 'attack' button in the lower-right.

Timing is crucial to striking deadly blows - mashing on the button levels basic attacks, while rhythmic taps trigger combos. Early foes are easily defeated with a couple of quick hits, yet later on armour knights require learning the precise rhythm to break their defensive stance.

Complementing the polished gameplay are an array of features that make Assassin's Creed II: Discovery feel leagues ahead of common iPhone fare.

Achievements, unlockable wallpapers, bonus missions, and even the option to plaster personal pictures on wanted posters in the game provide a sense of depth and guarantee replay value.

Given its origins on DS, this depth of design comes as no surprise. It's a happy inheritance, even if the game runs the risk of holding onto the shortcomings of its progenitor. With Assassin's Creed II: Discovery set for release on February 1 at $9.99/£5.99, we'll know soon enough.