Hidden from your intended victim behind a kitchen stove, you quickly remove and don the uniform of an unfortunate waiter who insisted on questioning you about your presence. Dressed in kitchen garb, you sneak around the historic manor house in plain sight. You quickly remind yourself of your objectives: rescue your informant and eliminate the head of the household. It makes no difference to you, really; you have no malice towards your victims or friendly feelings for those you rescue, it's just part of the job. Carrying a bowl of food as if you were delivering it, you scope out the manor, searching for the most likely spot to hide a prisoner. You spot it in the basement of the house, an imposing door set with two large padlocks. Your lock pick makes quick work of them and you're in.

This is an example of the atmosphere in the acclaimed Hitman series; fast-paced and frantic inside your head, while calm and methodical on the outside. You anticipate each move you are going to make, giving it endless thought and consideration, for if your operation doesn't go off without a hitch, Agent 47 won't live to see his next assignment. Agent 47 is your alter ego for this game, and a cooler, more badass hero just doesn't exist in computer gaming. Literally made for this business by cloning technologies, 47 has ice water in his veins and a barcode on the back of his head (comes in handy at the supermarket, I'm sure). HC is the third installment in the series from IO-Interactive, and it looks to pick up where the previous two games left off, with 47 hopping around the world carrying out the assignments given to him by the shadowy 'Agency'.

Missions in this new game take you to places like a slaughterhouse in Romania, an old submarine base in Siberia, and an English country manor. Your missions usually involve gathering information, rescuing hostages, and above all, glorious assassination. This is 47's specialty, of course, and you can devise many ways to get the job done effectively and creatively. IO doesn't get skimpy with weapons either. In addition to 47's trademark fibre wire (when you need to reach out and crush someone), and silverballers (what's an assassin without a trademark pistol?), there are more creative weapons to use like shovels and meathooks. Also available are the standard fare of knives, pistols, assault weapons, sniper rifles, and explosives. In a new feature, 47 will now be able to drown his victims if he gets the chance. After killing your victims, you usually have to hide them, so take 'em for a drag around the level until you find a suitable place, like a closet or a sewer grate.

The game plays exactly like the first two games in the series; your perspective is from about 5 feet behind 47's bald, bar-coded cranium, and you skulk around each level avoiding guards and looking for opportune ways to take out your targets. Each level begins with 47 receiving a mission with a few challenging objectives. He must then choose to use either stealth or firepower to accomplish his mission, and after the mission is complete, a dramatic cut scene segues you into the next mission. The story in this game revolves around 47's past: your first mission fleshes out the aftermath of the asylum mission in the first game where you assassinated the scientist who created you. A mysterious stranger also seems to be after 47, someone who knows who and what he is.

The big draw to the Hitman series is the open-endedness. You decide how to accomplish each mission. You can take your targets out by sneakily strangling them or by using brute force and heavy weapons in an all-out assault. The most rewarding and therefore challenging way to win is to look for the subtlest way of taking out your targets without arousing suspicion or harming any innocents. This can involve slipping your target some poison or luring them into an isolated area so you can take them out silently. If you are successful in killing only your targets without arousing any suspicion, you attain Silent Assassin status and are awarded a special weapon. This weapon is usually an upgraded firearm, which kind of defeats the purpose of being a Silent Assassin (no true professional would bang away with loud weapons). But the satisfaction of being a Silent Assassin is reward enough: It signifies that you accomplished your mission perfectly.

Hitman: Contracts is a superior game that lives up to the reputation of its predecessors. The look and sound of the game is excellent, and the missions can be pretty challenging. Of course, you can change to one of three difficulty levels if you're having trouble (but only at the very beginning of the game). The series is starting to get into the realm of same ol' same ol', however, with each game playing out the same way. IO should try for a little change in their next installment or end the series with this game.