I don't need practice, I'm a professional

So, today I started playing Hitman Contracts for the first time. If you've seen my Hitman walkthroughs you may know already that I absolutely loved Hitman: Codename 47, but Hitman 2: Silent Assassin, despite it being occasionally very enjoyable seriously pissed me off at certain moments. I hear Hitman Contracts includes some good old levels from the first Hitman game, re-created to suit the newer Hitman gameplay style from Silent Assassin. Nope, I don't expect Contracts to beat Codename 47.

Did I screw up? Let me try that again...

The intro was interesting, though I don't fully get it. Someone has a really bad reception on his telly when a bullet from the educational program about guns makes everything go kaput! and then a blood-chilling female horror-esque scream is heard. Then 47 comes home bleeding and passes out on the carpet.
I gather he got shot at for messing with the target's satellite dish when he was climbing in through the bathroom window while the target's wife was on the crapper.

Because it's been a while since I played Silent Assassin I decided to take on the SWAT infested training course of Contracts first. Practice makes perfect, though I don't have far to go.
I tried out the sneak training area, which taught me very little apart from that training in general sucks. I learned that doors can be opened and that walls prevent people from seeing to the other side. I also "failed" this incredibly simple training mission three times in a row as the guards did see over the short wall and were immediately alerted to my presence despite my clever disguise and use of the crouch button. Screw it, I don't really need practice anyway, I'm a Hitman vet!

There, fixed. Silent Assassin rank, here I come!

Unlike the original Codename 47's training area, in the now regular Hitman fashion the game didn't really guide me through anything, and there was a large area that the training "tips" never directed me to. I wonder if I was actually meant to go there yet.
Then I tried the shooting training. I learned that I'm completely and utterly fucked if I have to shoot anything that moves or shoots back during the actual game. I tried it three times but ran out of bullets and left.
Lastly I tried the sniper training, and there I learned the most valuable lesson of all: you can't do shit if you don't have the shit. No sniper rifles unlocked yet, couldn't practice it. I suppose the game expects me to continue to train every time I get new equipment, but I'm an old-school gamer and tell you not to feed me bullshit and just let me play the actual god damn game already!

After this training session I'm fully prepared to take out cardboard enemies
that stand still in front of windows and don't return fire.
Laugh all you want, Silent Assassin had that mission already

So in regards of the training area, the final verdict is that it's your usual crappy video game training area. A very positive thing is that it's completely optional, but the bad thing is that it sucks. Codename 47's training was mandatory, but at least it guided you through the sections and showed exactly how to do the stuff you were practicing so that after it was over you were definitely capable of performing the needed actions in the main game. Contracts just sort of tells you to practice whatever while it's out having lunch.
A bit useless since if I'm supposed to learn the ropes by messing around and trying out random stuff how I please, I could just as well start the real game and play with the controls as I go.

Stay tuned for more descriptions of... I don't know, walking about while avoiding eye contact.
It's Hitman Contracts, baby! Yeah!