Thanks for the recommendation! I have got Brotherhood; it lies in wait in a huge box (limited edition) on top of my drawer. I am only waiting to get a new Xbox 360 Slim together with a transfer cable, before starting up with a bunch of new games that are also in the stockpile. And when I do, Brotherhood is first in line. I'm really looking forward to visting 15th century Rome - from the rooftops, no less! -, and that Rodrigo Borgia* is one delicious arch-enemy to "meet again".

"Where circumstances are now entirely on mine/his/the Pope's side", etc.

The reason I'm going to get an Xbox Slim is that once I got my Xbox online, and thereby access to all those wonderful add-on packs, I quickly found myself running out of memory space. If I understand the technology correctly, the transfer cable should enable me to continue my saved games on the new machine, but just to be sure, I'm planning on starting up my new games on the new console. So maybe I'm over-anxious, but why take chances...?

If I find the original Assassin's Creed for a good price somewhere, I just might do as you suggest. Everyone says it's a beautiful game; the complaints I've heard of were mostly about the repetitive gameplay, and the mechanics.


*
About that Rodrigo Borgia, and his role in Assassin's Creed 2. I love the game and I love the plot, which weaves through actual historical figures and their respective destinies. And I have been speculating about one thing in particular: Shouldn't Rodrigo Borgia have a pretty shrewd idea of the identity of his great and worthy opponent (that is Ezio Auditore, i.e. me)? The reason why the templars arranged for Ezio's father to be executed was, if I understand it correctly, that they knew that he was an assassin. And since it was presumably a known fact that Ezio and the women of the family were not executed, and the killings of the conspirators started immediately thereafter, young Ezio would be a fairly obvious suspect. Also and if nothing else, Ezio and Rodrigo Borgia have met face to face (well, hood to hood actually, but no matter) on at least two occasions. This would pose no huge threat to either Ezio or his family if they lived in secrecy, but they don't - they reside in grand estate in the family villa in Monteriggioni. I was expecting visits from Borgia death squads within the week, but it didn't happen. It can't be the small (albeit well provisioned) soldiers' garrison in Monterriggioni that keep them away. I guess it might be the protection from Lorenzo di Medici, but I doubt it.

I know that the real reason is more likely to be game related - the game designers wanted to give Ezio a beautiful and historically founded noble's residence. Which is an excellent reason, and I am more than happy with it. But I like to speculate on these kind of things, when so much time and thought have been given to both the plot, the characters and the recreation of a historical environment!