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Even if you feel like Chris Farley in "Beverly Hills Ninja," you'll definitely look more like a character out of an old Bruce Lee flick as you sneak around feudal Japan with the stealth of a cat when playing Activision's newest, "Tenchu: Return From Darkness."

In this longstanding series, "Return From Darkness" follows the previous PS2 port, "Tenchu: Wrath of Heaven," while this latest installment is an Xbox exclusive that offers more candy for the eye, which only the Microsoft black box can pull off.

After being guided through the game's tutorial -- thank the digital heavens for tutorials, otherwise I would spend most of the time figuring out the controls -- you'll begin the story mode deep in the heart of 16th-century Japan, where you have been given the task of riding the land of the dishonorable Tenai Samurai who are on a quest to rule the country.

After choosing your Ninja -- either the male Rikumaru or the lovely Ayame, each with their own style and finesse -- the play begins with your character tucked in a shadow and ready to spring into action. Authentic weapons and tools of the Ninja trade like Shuriken's (throwing stars), Caltrops (a spike that you toss on the ground that injures enemies' feet), smoke bombs to mask your departures, and of course, a good steel blade are all yours for the taking to help complete your assassination missions. The coolest trick by far is the cloaking ability, which allows your Ninja to blend into the scenery like a chameleon, making them truly deceptive and invincible.

"Return From Darkeness" is quite striking visually. The real-time lighting has subtle nuances that give the game a heightened sense of realism. Backlighting through Japanese paper doors, the glow of moonlit streets in a village, and the shadows inside freshly laid footsteps in the snow make this game extraordinary. The character renderings, taken from Japanese-style anime are both graceful in movement and expressive.

With a magnificent blend of Western and Asian arrangements, the music of "Return From Darkness," is delicate and intense, depending on the game's action level. Coupled with a great ambient soundscape, this game is an aural delight.

The only problems I had with "Return From Darkness" turned out to be quite a major one -- the shifty camera angles and frustrating controls. As I had my Ninja gingerly jumping from rooftop to rooftop or hiding in the shadows waiting for prey, I soon found myself discovered by Samurai because I was too busy fidgeting with the games controls while trying to get a better angle of view on the once-unsuspecting victim. If there were any words of advice I could give K2 and Activision, it would be to work on this one flaw, which, in my opinion, kept this latest Tenchu installment from being one of this year's "must have" games.

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