Connor crosses the snowy forests of the Thirteen Colonies, and America rumbles behind him.

The profile sketches an adventure that leans more contemplative than nervy. You would happily take it to a desert island, ahead of 91% of all titles, and the urge to rediscover it stays high. Controller feel and sound also land well, ahead of 84% of games, though on few votes, so to confirm. The real fracture sits elsewhere. On fun, that game you launch for a quick session and never put down, it sinks to the bottom, ahead of barely 5% of titles. Art direction disappoints too, low in the ranking. Attachment lands right in the middle.

Against the tighter, smoother entries in the saga, AC III pays for its ambition. The historical setting fascinates, but the pacing grabs less than the best stealth or action games of its era.

So who is it for? For you if you love a historical fresco you savor slowly, an era you want to inhabit. Much less if you are after the instant jolt, the game that grips you within the first hour.