With a plethora of ways to take down your targets, Hitman: Contracts is incredibly fun and worth every penny.
Graphics: The graphics in Contracts are above average and obviously had a lot of effort put into them. The enviornments are atmospheric, and the effects look good. There are a few issues with collision detection and some graphical weaknessess, but overall they're great.
Audio: The music in this game is unusual, but it does set a great tone for the game and gives it a dark overtone. It can sometimes even get a bit scary. Take for example the mission: "The Meat King's party". It has you out to kill an obese scottsman known as "The Meat King" and killing his lawyer and rescuing some girl. Well, the party-goers must be used to walking around a corner and bumping into a gigantic dead horse hanging from a meat hook in the corner. When you rescue the girl, you find her dead, hanging upside-down inside of a dead animal carcas. You even pick up her severed arm as murder evidence. Yeah, and on top of that you even run into an insane meat-cleaver wielding psychopath if you're not careful. But that's not to say the game doesn't have it's funny moments (laxative stew, anyone?!) for it does have a sense of humor. The voice acting is convincing and great. Especially for a game that's not particularly driven by the story.
Gameplay: The gameplay is one of Hitman's best aspects, as it has stealth action that can honestly be compared to that of MGS and splinter cell. Everything comes down to the nitty-gritty details in this game. The way you walk, what you're carrying, what you're wearing, etc. There's also a number of ways to take out your targets. Take this into perspective: In one mission you can take out your target 7 different ways. This ups the replay value of the game to a lot more than a rental. I bought this game for $10.00 and I definetly would've payed $50.00 for it. It's a great addition to the series and if you're new to the series, it's a great game to start with.