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All this exploration is great, but the bloody red meat of the game is in the swordplay. Skarin starts off with the same mix of quick slashing attacks and heavy-duty cuts that you'd expect from any hack-and-slasher, though these can be modified to build combos using the left bumper. However, as the game progresses Skarin earns a range of additional attacks, counters and reversals, which can be unlocked in the training rings found dotted around the islands. "We wanted to make the combat system robust" explains Creative Assembly's Mark O'Connell, "so that while you can take on multiple men, it's also good in one-on-one situations." However, the game's most spectacular special attacks also need to be used sparingly. They deplete the rage gauge Skarin builds up during combat, which means you need to use them tactically rather than waste them on the small fry.

At this point, we'd better make it clear that Viking doesn't exactly underplay the blood and guts. Even Skarin's stealth attacks involve dismemberment, while even the most basic fight with an undead patrol results in a whirlwind of flying limbs, struck-off heads and spraying blood. I wasn't sure you could get a more visceral approach to combat than God of War, but Viking just about manages it. Creative Assembly wanted a barbaric experience. They've succeeded.

Barbaric, but still beautiful. In its first island at least, Midgard is a stunningly realised land of Norse legend; all jagged granite, green forests and raging water in the interiors, while the sea batters against the rocks on the surrounding coast. From the lovingly imagined Viking villages to the sandy beaches, it's probably the most convincing and coherent fantasy world I've seen since Oblivion. Skarin, his allies and his foes are also superbly modelled, lit and animated, and the overall effect has that great fantasy illustration vibe about it. It's a truly gorgeous looking game. And like so many of the great games of the era, where possible onscreen furniture has been replaced by more subtle cues in the animation. Enemies visibly tire as they grow weaker, and Skarin alters his posture from a macho swagger to a stealthy prowl when there are foes in the viscinity. You can even tell how dangerous an area is by the presence or lack of mystic fog. When you first enter hostile areas they're shrouded in the stuff, but weaken the local Undead contingent and release their captive Vikings and the mist soon lifts for good.

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