Get ready to plunge into the lush and deadly world of the Italian Renaissance, an era of arts, riches and murderous conspiracy. Assassin's Creed II introduces you to Ezio, a new assassin carrying on the deadly lineage of his forebears. Confront an epic tale of power and corruption as you hone your assassin's art, wielding weapons and instruments designed by the legendary Leonardo Da Vinci himself in this gripping and deadly sequel. In Assassin's Creed 2, you "relive" the life of an assassin during the Italian Renaissance in this open-world action adventure game. The goal is to exact revenge upon conspirators who have framed and executed loved ones; the goal is to be accomplished through assassination. As players roam the crowded streets of Florence, Italy, they can creep through catacombs and corridors, undertake diverse side-missions, and tail-and-assassinate all manner of human targets-politicians, Templar soldiers, and conspirators. Players can also brawl with family rivals or engage in sword fights with Templar soldiers, but in most cases, they use stealth techniques to complete the mission; for example, players can sneak up on enemies from behind and kill them with hidden daggers, poisoned daggers, spring-activated blades, and swords. When blades connect, blood shoots out in a fountain-like manner as targets groan or scream. These stealth-kills are sometimes depicted close-up and are somewhat graphic: the camera follows the "herky-jerky" thrusts of the blade; the player hears a distinctly "wet" flesh-impact sound. The most graphic depictions of violence occur during cinematic cut-scenes. A short live-action movie (i.e., not animated) is included with the game. During a dramatic sword fight, an enemy's throat gets slashed-exposing a wide gash in his neck-as the body flails in front of the camera. The spurts and sprays of blood that accompany some of the stabbing attacks can be intense. The