Although EA have a reputation for being something of an advertising behemoth, it would be fair to say that they were somewhat off the mark when it came to the promot­ion of Dragon Age. With a trailer that blazed Marilyn Manson over a montage of blood, guts and gore, you could be forgiven for thinking that this was just another gore-fuelled, over the top, brainless hack-and-slasher. Luckily, this couldn’t be further from the truth.

As a spiritual successor to Baldur’s Gate, Dragon Age is actually an incredibly well crafted, involving, and intelligent game. While the over-the-top gore does distract a bit from the proceedings, underneath the layer of blood is an RPG every bit as involving as a Mass Effect, with a story that manages to be both original and interesting (not too easy a task in the crowded fantasy realm), filled with characters that you end up actually being bothered about.