If we strip away much of the awe inspired by the X360 and PS3 versions of Assassin’s Creed, we’re left with a few core fundamentals of gameplay that provide the reasons for going through Altair’s adventures time and again.

We love the parkour free-running, the stealth and subterfuge, the slick, body mapped control system. It’s in these basic principles that the real strength of Assassin’s Creed was to be found – regardless of the amazing visuals, engrossing storyline and invigorating roof top chases. Naturally, gamers can easily forgive the toned down graphics seen on the DS – no one expects developers Gameloft to reinvent the hardware. Indeed, the simplified storyline – which follows the actions of Altair prior to the future glimpses of the parent game – is quite welcome. But the gameplay is something which Altair cannot afford to sacrifice, and is regrettably watered down in his second onscreen appearance.

There’s no jumping around in time for Altair’s Chronicles – no sci-fi sub-plot or story driven character development. Instead, we’re given the opportunity to re-enact a segment of the super-assassin’s life before the events of the console game took place. Chasing down Templars to recover a valuable artefact is all the motivation the assassin needs, and the set up for this reined-in premise is handled well. The storyline for Altair’s Chronicles, though significantly reduced, doesn’t really feel to be lacking. At the very least, it’s consistent with the depth of any other handheld game, with the added bonus of a superb design template having already been developed.

Unfortunately, the DS game feels to grab hold of the platformer genre a little too tightly, and stifles much of the life from wonderfully dynamic original. The roofs are no longer Altair’s plaything – but a treacherous and difficult to navigate assault course that regrettably makes players wish they could get their head down and saunter through the streets in open camouflage.

The clunky scrolling, stilted graphics and deficient level designs make each stretch of rooftop into a trial and error dexterity exercise, rather than the free domain of a man without fear as we now expect from the ancient killer. Standard platforming fare - the likes of which wouldn’t be entirely out of place in a Mario game, like pits filled with spikes, water and bottomless caverns - make up the city heights; something which feels distinctly unworthy of a noble warrior like Altair. Jumping across gaps is too often a leap of faith (and not the good kind as we saw in the original game), as the opposite platform is off-screen, unclear or a falsity thrown up by the deceptive map on the lower screen.

Likewise, the free-running gymnastics of Altair have been curtailed. He learns some of the tricks as the game progresses, such as wall running and jumping, but the staggering and uncontrollable skidding of the slick-footed warrior make for all together too many bad landings to infuse the sensation of freedom necessary to continue the mother game’s theme. Indeed, when it comes to picking up boxes and moving them around, it’s hard to stop Altair from climbing on them, then falling to his death on the other side – regardless of the fact that we’re required to make Altair lug around his own set of makeshift stepladders, when we expect him to make dynamic use of the environment to scale the lofty heights he once owned.

Stealth does still exist in Altair’s Chronicles, though once again it’s severely abridged. Holding the R shoulder button slows Altair’s walking speed for stealth and balance, and cautiously approaching a sleeping enemy (with a conveniently turned back) allows for a single button stealth kill. No real task or challenge, but at least the option is still included. Combat also retains a shadow of the console game, with attack combos, defence and counter strikes.

A pickpocket mini-game is also used quite frequently, which involves using the stylus to manoeuvre a specific item around the contents of the owner’s bag without touching them. Despite the “thief and reaver” theme of this mini-game, it plays a little too much like Operation to add the necessary gravity to the act, and quickly becomes something of a chore. There’s also a unique re-engineering of the Ouenden (AKA Elite Beat Agents) style of rhythm gameplay to be found during interrogation scenes. Hitting pressure points on an enemy’s body and bending their joints at just the right moments persuades them to give up their information. An amusing (thought whether that’s good or bad is debatable) distraction that does feel to open up the gameplay to some extent.

Perseverance with Altair’s Chronicles does bring rewards, however. Once the game is in full swing and the player has learned to compensate for the level designs and stops feeling seasick from the jerky scrolling there’s a decent platform game to be found. Unfortunately, the DS sports a whole host of excellent platform games, which makes it tricky to recommend an average one. Diehard fans of the console game will undoubtedly be itching to delve deeper into the canon of their favourite assassin, and in that respect I certainly can’t blame them – just be aware that the game asks for a lot of determination on your part to squeeze the few thrills and spills from its code.