Over the years, From Software and K2's Tenchu series lost a little bit of its blood-spilling luster. The original PlayStation game was a work of gutsy genius, putting gamers into the shoes (sandals?) of a ninja and letting them pop off bad guys with ingenious stealth kills. Later sequels, however, just didn't maintain the original's charm. The latest in the series, Microsoft's Tenchu Z, manages to do better than previous releases, but the game still disappoints.

Instead of playing as one of the series' regulars (such as the sexy Ayame or the rugged Rikimaru), potential ninjas create their own character from scratch. The customization engine doesn't get off on the right foot, with only six poorly rendered face models and five clothing types to choose from. However, over the course of the game, new items can be bought, massively expanding upon the available options. It won't be long before players create the ultimate masked ninja.

Single-player mode consists of fifty missions, mostly made up of the assassination and item-retrieval variety. Players draw a bloody path from point A to point B, killing any guards and dogs while closing in on their target. This re-introduces one of Tenchu's finest assets, the stealth kill. The ninja sneaks around the level without being detected in order to be most effective. Hiding in shadows, creeping around in a quiet fashion, zipping up to rooftops with a grappling hook and crawling under structures – usual ninja stuff – become requirements. Veteran players should have no trouble accomplishing the game's most riveting kill moves; letting an enemy have it through the screen door or poking their weapon through the floorboards. Other weapons and accessories become available over the course of the game, including smoke bombs, throwing stars and blow guns – perfect for distant kills. Players can obtain new skills as well, enhancing the performance of their ninja.

Unfortunately, Tenchu Z gets old quickly. Players will grow bored doing the same thing repeatedly, and the artificial intelligence needed work. They act randomly, sometimes noticing a corpse and sometimes walking right past it like it was part of the decor. Even if an enemy character spots the ninja, gamers can wander away and hide for a minute before being forgotten. In addition, the enemies don't perform well in combat, occasionally blocking and striking but eventually succumbing to their own bungled sword skills. More variety and better – or rather, any – enemy skill would have made this game more meaningful.