Fire up God of War and you’re going to think someone broke in and upgraded your PlayStation 2 when you weren’t looking. Seriously, this game has better graphics than I thought possible on the PS2.

You play Kratos, a man with a history beset by war and bloodshed. The majority of it his own doing.

You are on a mission from the gods of Olympus in Ancient Greece. Think Hercules. Think Ulysses. Think Sport Billy.

The fluidity of Kratos’ animation and sheer variety of moves at his disposal - both in and out of combat - is staggering. The scenery is equally breathtaking, and really makes you feel as if you are taking part in something of epic proportion. The music and sound effects are the icing on an already very delicious cake.

The biggest shock of all is that far from merely being eye candy stuffed in between the levels, the storyline really involves you. You never know when a part of Kratos’ recent history will reveal itself and bring you a step closer to understanding what’s going on. The cut scenes are intense and often as gory as I’ve ever come across in a video game (but that’s okay because it’s historical…or cultural….or…well, pretty damn cool at any rate).

As you might infer from the title of the game, combat plays a hefty role throughout. It often calls for a subtle blend of psychology and extreme violence. Kratos’ regard for life is at best patchy, and if he has to mow down a few innocents to get to the Minotaur with the huge hammer, then so be it.

God of War’s impressive cast list of mythical baddies, make most games’ end-of-level bosses look small and cuddly. And the bosses in God of War are truly gargantuan. I’m surprised there are enough polygons tucked away in the PS2 to actually draw them on screen. You’ll find that just hitting them till they fall over won’t work too. You’ve got to use your bonce, and whatever props are around.

At intervals in the game you are rewarded with greater and greater powers, which sap your limited pool of magical energy but dish out some mean godly vengeance with which to smite your foes. Upgrading the power of your weapon and range of special moves, or increasing the deadliness and scope of your magic, comes through adding to the body count both in quality and quantity.

God of War at times gets pretty saucy, which I suppose is true to ancient Greek art. An encounter with a couple of scantily clad maidens springs to mind. As you may have guessed, this is not a game for youngsters.

You will come up against a lot of fiendish puzzles, which will need dexterity, problem-solving skills, and an eye for detail to get you through, providing a welcome break from the barrage of heads, limbs and viscera.

In terms of theme and genre, God of War doesn’t break much new ground - some of you might be old enough to remember the classic Bitmap Brothers game Gods which dates back to 1991 (yikes!)…But thanks though to the speed, variety, quality and depth of gameplay which definitely are groundbreaking, I can honestly say this is my new all-time favourite adventure game of all time, ever.

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