Hitman: Codename 47

No game has ever frustrated me like Hitman 47, and I'm not ashamed to say I used cheat codes to finish the last level. The game design is completely unforgiving, and if you've grown used to modern stealth games (or even the latest Hitman), you may be surprised by the things you can't do (for example, using items to distract guards isn't really a thing). Additionally, unlike later games in the series, you have very little health and can easily be killed if spotted. All that being said, the central stealth mechanic of Hitman (ie, dressing up as people) functions perfectly, ensuring that there is always a solution to every level (though you must be careful to have the right outfit in the right place). Sadly, the last level is basically a shooting section, and while the gun play is perfectly adequate (and pin-point accurate), I never had enough health to succeed. I really enjoyed my time with this stealth/dress-up game, but be sure you want this version over the more forgiving later games before you buy.

Become an assassin, kill people, have fun! How great is that?

a great game just as good as i remember

The first of the Hitman franchise got elements from Thief, Metal Gear Solid and helped set the standard for Splinter Cell and the stealth genre. Graphics were outstanding for the year it was released. The downside were some bugs, no in-mission checkpoints and many occasions where the game just threw you into combat and ignored stealth completely, so it had a big arcade feel at times. Some of these missions were rebooted in Hitman Contracts because the original concepts and level design were very good but the game failed to deliver a truly polished and believable experience. In missions like the one in Colombia against the obvious Scarface character it's very likely that you'll have to wipe out every single enemy in the map apart from the mandatory boss fight against him. It's worth the sale price, but don't judge it too hard.

I used to defend this entry until I replayed it recently. Enemies having eyes in the back on their heads when changing items in your hands is broken. Also, some of the levels are simply too long without having mid-level saves unless you die and need to use another life. I decided to call it quits after the Lee Hong Assassination and then got dumped in Colombia, which is a run around an empty map simulator. The game playing more like a bad third person shooter instead of Hitman 2: Silent Assassin and afterward also works against it for replays. It's enjoyable to see where the series started, but I simply can't recommend when it feels like a waste of time beyond seeing what it was like back in the year 2000. FWIW, I had good luck running on Linux with dgVoodoo drop-ins.