It dosent stand toe to toe with the console versions, but then again, it is meant to be a portable game on the PSP.
The gameplay suffers alot in this game. I own this game and Metal Gear Solid Portable Ops and I have to say, these games are not meant for the PSP. This is due to the camera. In AC:Bloodlines, you have to hold the left shoulder button and then press Triangle to pan the camera up, circle to pan it ran,Square to pan it left and X to pan it down. In missions where you have to run fast or scale roofs this can alter the game alot. Also controlling Altiar is jerky due to the poor joystick on the PSP, although I have the original launch PSP, so I dont know if it has seen any improvements since. You can cimb buildings and do what you can in the other two Assassin's Creed games, although this is a little watered down. You have a sword, hidden blade, and throwing knifes. These are all standard now. You can counter attack, dodge and throw your enemies too. Pretty much what you expected.
The story takes of from the original Assassin's Creed. You play as Altiar and face off against the templars in Cyprus. Due to the PSP's capabillities, the cities arent as populated and sometimes seem dull or bland. You face boss's as well. Each providing a new test because of how different they are from each other. You can use Templar coins to purchase upgrades to increase your Synch Time and attacks, or even add more throwing knives etc. The game is linear and missions are short, probably to cater to the "on the go" person.
All in all for PSP's standards this is a great game, I will not hold it up against Assassin's Creed and Assassin's Creed II because they were on the Xbox 360 and Playstation 3. I will say it would have been cool to play as Altiar again on the PS3 or Xbox 360 if they were to release this game on teh PS3 and 360 with the same attention and care the first two AC games received. I am not a fan of portable gaming systems and while I was playing this I was wishing it was on a better console. But that is a matter of tast, I will say that it is fun and looks good, and great for killing time. I'd give this game an 8 out of 10