Hitman 2

BACK WITH A (SILENCED) BANG

- Martin Kitts

Although he spent the early part of his career whacking mobsters for cash, these days Agent 47 is firmly aligned with the good guys. He still spends most of his time arranging grisly and amusing deaths, but in this eagerly awaited follow-up to the wonderful episodic Hitman, our man breaks away from his former paymasters in pursuit of a global conspiracy led by one of his own anonymous clients.

After a beach-house taster that serves as an extended tutorial, what follows is a globe-trotting tour de force of five intricately crafted levels, ranging in scale from substantial to absolutely humungous, any of which could easily be considered a career highlight for this long-running series.

There’s a sunny suburban tribute to one of Hitman: Blood Money’s most popular missions, and a sprawling jungle level with a drug baron’s compound hidden beyond a subjugated village. A motor race level offers the chance to assassinate one of the drivers at various points from grid to after-party while dressed as a giant bird, and there are challenges throughout based around sniping targets from half a mile away.