Assuming those of you reading this review have already hopped, skipped and stabbed your way through Assassin’s Creed II, I ask you this: do you remember when Animus techie Rebecca Crane desynchronised Desmond Miles from Ezio in chapter 11, explaining the Animus data had become corrupt, before throwing you into chapter 14 sporting some fashionable face fuzz? What became of chapters 12 and 13?

Truth is these two 'corrupted memory sequences' were actually omitted from the final game by Ubisoft in order to meet the November 20th launch deadline. Conveniently, it made good business sense to release these missing segments later under the category of ‘DLC’. That’s right; Battle of Forli is missing chapter 12 of Ezio’s adventure which, as you might expect, slots seamlessly into the established narrative and throws in a few interesting twists for good measure. But is the content worth the florins?

Rather than refine, build on or improve upon the title’s mechanics this add-on exists merely to fill a gap, and gives us good reason to reacquaint ourselves with our nimble death-dealing Italian. Continuing from where chapter 11 left off, BoF reintroduces the mysterious Caterina Sforza whom Ezio first encountered on his way to Venice. All is well until her citadel Rocca di Ravaldino is attacked by the boisterous Orsi brothers, two Templars who wreak havoc to create a diversion that will allow them to make off with the Apple of Eden. Over Ezio’s dead body...

Without giving too much away, this DLC delivers six challenging new memories incorporating a nice mix of frantic skirmishes, escort missions, assassinations and fast-paced street chases. The good news is that the entire experience is quite gratifying. The bad news is that it is disappointingly short-lived. If you’re a fairly apt assassin like me, it’ll take you no more than sixty minutes to reach the chapter’s rather anti-climatic conclusion, and you’ll soon be back to aimlessly bullying guards and shoving archers off rooftops just for something to do.

Furthermore, BoF provides little actual reward value. Personally, I was expecting a bit more substance in the way of another catacomb to explore, a new skill or two to learn, some new blades to wield, or perhaps the odd trophy to earn, but sadly my expectations were not met. You do get to unlock a ‘special memory’ which lets you soar the skies in Leonardo da Vinci’s flying machine any time you like, but after you’ve done it once or twice the novelty begins to ebb away.

Paying $3.99 (or £3.19) for an hour’s worth of entertainment is definitely a judgement call. No doubt OCD suffers will purchase the content without hesitation simply to complete the main story, and that’s absolutely understandable. However, my recommendation would be to wait until March when Ubisoft’s second batch of DLC, Bonfire of the Vanities, is released. Buy the two together and play chapters 12 and 13 back-to-back, because though BoF is enjoyable it is by itself undersized and forgettable.

6/10