The year is set for 1190 AD and the Third Crusade is engulfing the Holy Land as Crusaders clash with Saracens to control the Holy City of Jerusalem. This version of Assassin's Creed is a prequel to its big brother on the consoles and puts our young assassin on a quest to find a sacred object of great importance, the Chalice. The Chalice apparently has the power to turn the tides of war for whoever holds it, so Altair must find it for the greater good of all.
The graphics of this title are limited to the DS and are unfair to compare with it's console versions, but for the most part the DS version of Assassin's Creed does a good job visually. You never lose site of Altair or confuse characters on screen. The lower portion of the DS is used as a Mini Map to show you where enemies and objectives are located. The bottom screen is a complete top down view of what you are looking at on the top screen of your DS.