As a ninjitsu-based game, the idea is naturally not to wage war, but to kill the leader, Tenrai, with ten missions along the way involving infiltration, theft and assassination.

Two characters are initially playable and possess slightly different qualities. Each mission has three layouts that can be chosen in any combination during the game. Once an area is completed, further missions become available. Six two-player co-operative or versus missions are on offer as well.

One of the first things that Tenchu 3 reminds you of is GoldenEye 007. Even ignoring obvious similarities (both games revolve around stealth and infiltration, both use a written narrative), the feel is remarkably similar. Solid, consistent textures and sparse if interesting surroundings are explored with a number of possible routes, with guards and the like ever a threat to your mission.

Here essential ninjitsu drives your methodology - creeping across rooftops, hiding in the shadows and only killing those that need to be eliminated. Tools of the trade include throwing weapons, a grappling hook, hand-held weapons and potions. Items can be equipped prior to each mission and supplemented with findings during the game.

Not all items are worth their trouble, however. Some are used as bait to draw you towards the waiting enemy. An on-screen meter shows your proximity to a threat and whether you have been spotted, identified as an intruder or seen as suspicious.

A system of learning new skills depends on the number of stealth attacks you complete during the missions. Getting within arm's reach of an opponent allows you to execute a variety of deadly moves, all performed with a single button-push of the DualShock 2. This is something of a tap-in as far as death is concerned, as a stealth kill involves nothing more than getting close enough to your opponent before being spotted - after that the computer takes care of your actions as you watch the final move. The ability to acquire new moves, however, relieves some of the monotony of the early missions.

Options during fights include quick-steps, blocks, jumps and crouches and their associated attacks. It's a simple setup with limited scope for true interactive control.

Direct combat requires smart use of resources. For example, facing three sword-bearing enemies with swords is suitably daunting with only a couple of knives available to attack. Intelligent use of the landscape in concert with your weapons and abilities is necessary to avoid death in such situations, or at least minimize your injuries.

The camera has both manual and auto-centering functions, but keeping your enemies in view can be laborious, especially if you have been seperated by a kick or jump. When sliding against a wall, the camera allows you to see around the corner, but in small spaces and after and about-face, the camera's woes quickly become apparent.

Voice acting ranges in quality, from the decent narrative to somewhat comic character vocals and accents. Music and sound effects are similarly varied, with some ordinary effects for your character's movement mixed with clearly polished musical performances of the background music, in Japanese theme with modern influences.

Save points are only available between missions. However, finding re-birth items allows you to resume the game part-way through a mission if you die - especially important if you find yourself falling to your death after the floor opens up from under you or you don't see a pit before it is too late.

The on-screen map can be essential to get you through your mission, though it will only show readily available spaces and does not identify many of the secret areas that can only be discovered by exploration.

The game world in Tenchu 3 is almost too real: there is a distinct lack of platforms and hiding places that more gameplay-oriented surroundings might have included. Although not a platformer, the game does involve a lot of climbing and jumping, and to that end the stealth aspect of Tenchu 3 could have been more intense and varied.

The distincty Western-influenced music makes Tenchu 3's 16th-century setting a little less memorable in favour of perhaps tapping into consumers not far past the game's R16 age restriction. Further evidence can be found in the fountains of blood that frequently spring from your victims' torsos, although falling to your own death yields little more than a depleted health meter.

The six two-player co-op missions are short affairs involving the same scenarios. Competitions for stealing items, conducting stealth kills and so-on are run like training drills. In this mode the camera can become particularly difficult, as a limited field of vision is combined with the nasty habit of losing sight of your enemies.