Others say...

"Please read this review."
This game, no denying, is a breath of fresh air from all this non stop action games, like Halflife, Counterstrike, Doom 3. But it is fun none the less. Many people call the controls clunky and bad. So go change them you idiots. And there is always a way to do a way quietly, unlike that Peter Shaub guy says. The sniper is in the subway. So? But if you just check your map, you find a point of interest. Go to it, you find a truck loaded with soldier uniforms. Don one on, and go back and get the rifle.
Really a no brainer.
Unfortunately, there are some idiots that want every thing layed out for them. Well, then it wouldn't be good because it would be too easy. However, some idiots feel that that is necessary. What, do you want a huge arrow pointing at where you need to go? Idiots.
But aside from them, this game was FANTASTIC. Almost the same thing as contracts, in fact. Basically, you roam around as a Hitman, your origin unknown (unless you played the first one). You've retired to a Scicilian Monastary and have donated your fortune to it and now work as the gardner there. Your suit lays dusty and forgotten in your wardrobe, and your hardballers are just sitting in the suitcase under the shed you live in, not having been used for years.
For the first time, you have a friend: The priest that lives at the monastary with you. But one day, he's kidnapped by the mafia. You're given a ransom note demanding 500,000 dollars. So you go and dig up your suit, hardballers (you get dual now), fiber wire, anaesthetic (for nonlethal takedowns lasting anywhere from 1 second to 5 minutes depending how much you apply to the victim) and binoculars and lockpick.

Time to go to work.

So you go, assassinate the don at his mansion, and... well, no spoilers. But needless to say, i was impressed by how many ways you could do the mission. There's a mailman walking up: you wanna take him out and steal his clothes? sure. The delivery man's delivering groceries. Want to ambush him to get into the mansion? Or just put your guns into the grocery cart so when you're frisked as the mailman, you're not caught and the guns go into the mansion, 1st class mail. Or maybe that guard thats pissing on the tree should get choked into oblivion and his clothes taken. Any way, after you're in, you got another bunch of choices.
Say, there's a sniper rifle in the garage. Want to grab it and go back out up a hill and snipe the don? Fine, but it's loud, and his body will be found, and you need to get to him anyway to get the key to his dungeon to free the priest. Or maybe you could just pay him a visit as the guard and blast him with a silenced pistol. Or go around the back, use the ladder to climb up to the roof and strangle him from behind? Your choice. Then there's the extraction plan. Want to take out the don's brother to get the car key for that nice red sports car in that garage? But he's always walking around with the don's son, so it means 2 extra kills. Maybe you could shoot your way out. Too messy. Or maybe you could just run back to the insertion point.

That was just the first level. Intriuged? If you aren't you aren't human. Not to mention you got some other hitman tailing you that makes some failed hits on you on the last couple of levels.

Weapons: wide variety-9mm pistol, 9mmpistol silenced, dual silver ballers, smg, uzi, ak, m4, m60, 5.45 pistol, .22 pistol, shotgun, sawnoff, spas 12, blaser r93, w2000 rifle, m195 rifle, deagle, revolver, golf club, poison, custom sniper rifle, silenced smg, dragunov, etc etc could go on forever.theres even a scapel for you guys wanting to be doctors. and a crossbow for really silent kills.

cons: wheres the sniper in the suitcase? Where that minigun? i need it on the last level. Conking people on the head with ur gun butt should be more effective. Guards are stupid one second (not seeing some other russian secret agent threaten this guy with a gun in the middle of a huge party) while they start shooting when you pull out your bottle of anaesthetic taht they cant see (DUDE... OUCH ... ITS... OWIE STOP SHOOTING... OUCH ... TYLENOL!). Then, how can civilians here me pull out pistols when they know i'm there but when i'm uncorking a big green bottle of anaesthetic, they dont hear a thing if they dont know i'm there. There was also one instance where i had to really howl in laughter.
In one level, in a huge party, i tail this dude. He opens a safe. When he does, i blast him with a pistol. At that moment, a guard walks in and sees the dead body, my pistol, blood on the ground, and me standing there, he saunters out and leaves. When i leave the mission, i just reach the extraction point when it says: WARNING GUARDS FOUND DEAD AMBASSADOR

About time too.

So for the last time, BUY BUY BUY BUY THIS GAME. BUY IT. NOW. DO IT YOU WILL NOT REGRET. AT WORSE RENT IT. IF YOU LIKE GAMES LIKE DOOM DONT GET IT. ITS ALL THINKIN AND STEALTH. so if you want to go in, kill everyone, this is not your game. If you however, like games like splinter cell or metal gear solid but thought they were too "one pathed", then this is the game for you. GET IT. NOW.

47, signing out.

"i love this game"
this game is awsome if you like to be stealthy, you can just all out kill people but its more chanllenging if you go stealth.

"As good as the sequel"
I played Hitman: Contracts first and wanted more, but I was afraid that Hitman 2: Silent Assassin wouldn't be as much fun. Other than some very minor ways in which the game worked which had been improved, I enjoyed Hitman 2 just as much as its sequel.

"One of the best PC games ever!!"
I completed the last level of Hitman 2 last night and I am convinced that this may be one of the best games ever. Unlike simple FPS games that allow you to simply run through each level blowing the crap out of everything, I like the fact that you can accomplish most missions utilizing several tactics/strategies. In some levels (i.e. Basement Killing)I chose to carry my Sniper Rifle. When the opening scene ended, I was left standing in a cubicle holding this large and useless weapon only to be instantly pursued by the AI stationed throughout. I tried several times to make that work, but it did not. I tried the level again, carrying only my 9mm SD and I whizzed through the level collecting weapons along the way as needed.

I enjoyed the graphics and the storyline as well. The overall feel of the game caused me to believe that this was a major programming effort and after viewing the credits - I gained a greater respect for game programmers and their efforts to raise the bar for gamers of all ages.

The Soundtrack and Vocals were outstanding!! They added a nice "ambiance" to the game and allowed myself, the father of 2 energetic children who always want juice, sandwiches, candy, etc as soon as I sit at my PC, to relax as I thought out my next move.

I've played other 3rd person strategy/RPG in the past and "Hitman 2:Silent Assassin" has been the best!!!

" THE HITMAN FACTOR!!!"
Hitman was a hit cause it brought about a new meaning to gaming by intruducing 47 to the world.Its excellent levels,good storyline and irritating toughness makes it as crazily as possible-A WINNER.Then Eidos brings the sequel.HITMAN 2 and i got to be honest wih anyone who reads this review.This game is worth playing.There are a few control issues and it does get a bit tedious as you advance thru the missions,but you'll be so addicted to the game that to get a silent assasin rank you have to replay every level again devising 2 or 3 stratigies using elements in the game itself.That makes HITMAN 2 another winner.There are huge levels located in excotic places.Every level is different.Even the 3 st petersburg missions have different atmospheres.There are decent no of guns and snipers and an excellent storyline.

MY FINAL COMMENT
Play this game even if you are new to the hitman series.IT WILL get boring after you FINISH the game 4 times