Assassin's Creed II will be more than a simple scenery swap then, taking key features from Altair's adventure and expanding on them while introducing new ideas. Most exciting is the fact Ubisoft have sorted out the botched mission structure. The one-dimensional progression of the original was the biggest sticking point for many, so tying missions to characters and allowing their outcomes to lead to other missions makes a very big sack of sense.

We'll have to see how wackiness such as Da Vinci's flying machine fits into this new equation (apparently we'll be able to carry out assassinations from the thing), and beyond Venice, Florence and the surrounding Tuscan countryside, the locations Ezio will visit haven't been confirmed. There's also an economy system yet to be unveiled, which will no doubt see Ezio paid with cash that can then be used to buy Da Vinci's wares.