‘tis but a scratch...

Combat takes place from a zoomed in, one-on-one, perspective and is akin to a rhythm action mini-game, sans music, as you dodge left and right in time to your foes weapons swings. Dodge the right way at the right time and your would-be assailant will hit nowt but air, fatigue rising as he visibly tires, allowing you to launch a counter attack of successive blows. It’s then up to you to time your swings quickly enough to deny your target the chance to recover but steadily enough so as not to increase your own fatigue too greatly. You’re treated to numerous gory death sequences at the close of each combat that include your avatar dealing a sharp rap to your opponents head that swells to bursting or flaying the skin from a trolls bones. The game provokes a wry smile on occasion when, having vertically sliced a goblin in half or decapitated a troll, you’re greeted with a brief line of helpful text that begins ‘He’s dead.’ Ha! Yes, I do believe he is...

For the more cerebral part of your adventure you’re provided with just enough clues to prevent you from becoming stuck for too long but it’s up to you to pay attention and recognise a clue when it’s presented. Trying to deduce the order that 3 red jewels must be placed from 64 possible combinations is not something you want to be attempting blind and the game’s pace is occasionally compromised when you are required to venture forth using trial and error to overcome some of the ‘path finding’ conundrums. For some sections, where you may know the answer to a puzzle but the answer is tricky to implement (level 5’s ‘Worm Sensor’ path finding exercise, I’m looking at you) it’s a case of try, try, gnash your teeth, and try again.