Having played and thoroughly enjoyed Tenchu: Stealth Assassins on the PSone, I waited with baited breath, like an assassin lurking in the darkness, for the Xbox sequel. Ducking from shadow to shadow I made my way to the nearest game store with my cash, mindful that my bank manager or She Who Must Be Obeyed didn't spot me. Sliding silently along the racks of wannabe stealth and action games, I sighted my prize, only to find another customer watching it with half an eye whilst perusing the pre-owned shelves. Distracting him with a bird whistle I ducked under his gaze, quickly whipped the game from the rack and to the desk, made my purchase and like a flash did a double backflip out the entrance. As I left I could hear the cry of "Ninja!" dying quietly on my foe's lips, as he realised that the title had eluded him, stolen from his grasp by a split second of inattentiveness. He should be grateful that he escaped with this life…

In case you haven't gathered already, Tenchu: Return From Darkness is the first Tenchu title to hit the Xbox and is a stealth game based around ninjas in 16th century Japan. Your master is Lord Gohda, who has called on you to thwart a cruel and mysterious warlord called Tenrai from taking over Gohda's domain. However, Tenrai has amassed a huge army of ninjas and other lords of darkness, so your task will not be an easy one. Your only chance lies with your ability to blend into the shadows, as if invisible, and take out your enemies as silently and as quickly as possible.

The gameplay sits somewhere between the stealth of Splinter Cell, the action of a beat 'em up like Soulcalibur and the exploration aspect of a game like Tomb Raider, but with no real puzzles to speak of. This third person fusion of styles really set the game apart in its first incarnation on the original PlayStation. It still works remarkably well in the present climate of gaming innovation, even though the formula doesn't seem to have been altered drastically. The action takes place in various landscapes, around which wander a whole host of bad 'uns, be they guards, ninjas, samurai or even the undead. The idea is to complete the objectives given at the start without being spotted and take down the adversaries you encounter along the way as quickly and efficiently as possible. The objectives can include finding keys, assassinating certain characters, destroying religious artefacts or protecting your Master from invading dark ninjas.

To help you along the way there are a variety of ninja style goodies you can employ. First and foremost are your weapons, which vary depending on the character you choose from the outset. Rikimarua, a strong male character favours the razor sharp lzayoi sword, whilst the smaller and more acrobatic female lead Ayame likes nothing better than dicing her opponents with two equally deadly long daggers. These are employed primarily for sneaking up on the bad guys and slicing them up in a variety of gruesome but extremely satisfying ways, depending on your distance from them, the angle of your attack and how quickly you surprise them. They are also used when you're spotted and aren't able to get away quickly enough, although this form of combat isn't as fun, being a bit of a single button masher to really get out of trouble.

However, another item that'll be with you regardless of the level you're exploring is your grappling hook. With this you can quickly shin up the side of buildings or cross chasms and pits. You're pulled along by a spring-loaded action very quickly and it can whip you out of the line of sight of someone who is about to turn and spot you, or an attacker who is intent on hacking you to bits. Other items you earn as you complete each level are awarded as a result of exploration, not using many special items in the previous level and the status awarded at the end of each escapade. Earning the title of Grandmaster bags you the greatest goodies, including poisoned rice cakes, sticky bombs, invisibility draughts, throwing stars and smoke bombs. Sometimes these are essential for completing an area, so it's a good idea to retry the earlier levels until you've perfected your silent kills and been spotted as little as possible. It's hard earning Grandmaster status even on the easy setting!

As the guards follow set patrols patience is the key, as you sit atop huts and houses spying their circuit. It's a good idea to see if they interact with or cross paths with other enemies, as there's nothing worse than thinking you've completed the most spectacular silent kill only to find another guy stroll round the corner, spot you, blow his whistle to attract other guards and then swing at you with his spear. Not only does this spoil your rating at the end, it's also another silent strike you've missed out on. Completing about twelve of these within one level often earns a power-up, which can include new combo moves, ninja sight (the ability to zoom in on distant objects) and even the ability to grip onto the ceiling. Also, exploration is encouraged as each level hides a number of secrets. Besides the special items you can uncover, you often find there is more than one route to your objective. Even when playing the earlier levels just for the hell of it I discovered new and interesting ways to get past the guards, be it by an overhead route, a newly discovered passage or even playing with one of three different guard layouts per landscape. This originality, constant striving for the highest status and feeling of freedom in choosing your favourite way through really makes this title immense fun, and compulsively playable.

Tenchu is let down a little by the graphics unfortunately. While the game does well from not altering its original formula, I would have thought it should really have improved on its look, which really doesn't make the most of the Xbox's capabilities. Having said that it isn't ugly by any stretch of the imagination. The character animations are very well crafted and the lighting effects as you move through a variety of different light sources are great. However, a bit more effort could have been put into individualising the guards, archers and ninjas; it really feels like you are killing a constant stream of clones over and over again. There is more variety as you progress through the levels but not much. I must mention the superb undead legion in the Cemetery level though - the way they stagger around with swords still cleaving their skulls, pierced with arrows and their heads lolling around their shoulders from clearly broken necks is not just well done but positively creepy.

Some of the landscapes are beautiful but they aren't without their problems either. For example, I was wowed by the beautiful orange paper walls of Lord Gohda's castle, which looked to have been carefully embroidered with stunning oriental designs. The lighting effects cast an orange glow on enemies and your character too, really adding atmosphere to the game. However, a few steps towards a window reveals a moat filled with what looks like slowly pouring cement and a sky where the clouds and stars are broken up with a giant dark triangle where the overhead mapping seems to have gone a bit askew. However, the environment within which you work suits the gameplay well, being full of lovely walls to slide along as you peek round corners, platforms to whiz up to using your grappling hook, roofs to creep silently along and various assorted boxes, bushes and shadows within which you can conceal yourself.

The game really shines thanks to the audio treats that come your way. The emphasis certainly is on tension; first of all you have the footfalls of approaching guards and the thud-thud of a heart surely pumped full of adrenalin. However, pull off your moves correctly and during the rather gruesome cut-scenes you'll be treated to a whoosh of arterial spray and a distinct splattering sound of a large volume of blood hitting the walls, floor and surrounding decorations. Other noises that aid the feel of the game are the chatter of guards as they meet and greet each other on patrol, again becoming more distinct as you creep up on them. Cries of "Ninja!!" or "Huh? Who are you?" mean you've been spotted and it's time for a sharp exit.

Added to this is a fantastic soundtrack that sounds like it should be authentic period Japanese music but is aided by 21st century sound technology. This varies from situation to situation, be it taking someone down stealthily, going head to head once spotted and at the various boss stages throughout each level. The music radically alters during each level too, from the traditional style of the first few levels to the almost insanely nerve-racking tinkling and plunking of strings during the Cemetary stage. As if sneaking past some extremely deadly and gruesome undead isn't bad enough, your nerves are strung taught by the nature of the discordant melody to the point of nervous exhaustion. It's great stuff!

If you're not happy completing it on your own, a great new feature is playing the levels co-operatively with a friend. The game lends itself well to this idea, particularly as there is more than one way to get through a level. The split-screen makes you squint from time to time and detracts from the suspense on occasion, but the friendly rivalry as you try to outdo each other on spectacular stealth kills is fun. Also, the game is Xbox Live enabled and allows a deathmatch game as well as the co-operative play. The advantage of this is that you can team up with another ninja, yet retain the full screen benefits. Once the main single player game is done and dusted (and this will take quite a bit of time) there is still plenty of fun to be had with these thoughtful and extremely welcome extras.

Although Tenchu: Return From Darkness isn't as graphically stunning as other recent Xbox titles, it more than makes up for it with the gameplay and to a lesser extent in the sound. For fans of martial arts, the whole ninja myth and ethos and those of a sadistic bent, you really can't ignore this game - it was designed by people that obviously know and love those cheesy oriental assassin movies of the seventies and eighties. Even those gamers not really interested in the stealth and action titles that abound at the moment should have a look at this; it's a tried and tested classic formula improved for Xbox that will have you slinking back in the quiet of the night for one more attempt at that perfect decapitation.

Reviewed by Dave Wynn for AceGamez (All Rights Reserved).