Definitely better than the first game. Time hasn't been kind to this game, in my opinion. A lot of what AC did that felt fresh at the time became the template for so, so many open world games. To this day we still get games where you have to climb towers to reveal stuff on the map. Even Final Fantasy VII Rebirth does this!

There's certainly more variety in this game compared to the first. I do enjoy the little dungeon areas you can find that are platforming challenges. I've always wished that AC had more Prince of Persia in its blood. The combat in AC has never been good, so I wish the platforming could at least have a bit more depth.

Also Ezio a better protagonist than Altair.