And, if you've played the first two games, you'll know exactly what to expect from God of War III. Basic gameplay remains almost unchanged in the final instalment in the series, and this is  likely to be the sticking point for some reviewers. Combat still leans towards button-mashing, with some simple combos to get to grips with, interspersed with quick time finishing sequences for selected enemies and, of course, epic boss battles. And, without giving too much away, we can confirm that there are some truly spectacular boss battles to contend with in the game (and a couple of damp squibs) which also means you'll often get your hands on their weapons, or equipment, afterwards. There are some nice new toys to play with in God of War III, including the Bow of Apollo (which fires blazing arrows), the Boots of Hermes (which give Kratos a dash ability) and, our favourite, the Nemean Cestus, two enormous gauntlets earned after a particularly satisfying boss battle. All can be powered up using the XP you've earned, upgrading their strength and unlocking new moves and combos.

Depending on your stance on quick time events, you'll be glad/pissed off to see them return in God of War III, often with spectacularly gory results. The way that Kratos dispatches with the half man-half horse Centaur, for instance, culminates in a throbbing pile of damp guts on the floor. As always, God of War III is relentlessly violent and, if you're new to the series, you should steel yourself for the eye-popping, limb-severing, gut-rupturing action ahead. Squeamish souls may want to look elsewhere. There's also a fair bit of tit on show in the game, just to give the anti-gaming lobby something else to moan about. Yes, it's puerile and about as sexy as Iain Dowie, but we can forgive Santa Monica Studio its indulgences when the overall package is so compelling. Haha, I said 'package.'

In fact, the only weak link in God of War III's chain is the puzzle/platforming gameplay which can become more than a little tedious on occasion. The latter has always been a bit of a pain in the series thanks to the lack of camera control and the slightly unforgiving jump mechanic. It's more of the same in God of War III and feels like an unnecessary extension of the game at times. The puzzles, equally, are rarely very cerebral and it's usually pretty obvious what needs to be done to advance. Which all conspires to get in the way of what God of War does best: action.

But, you'll be glad to know that the action on offer in the game is the best we've seen in the series to date and this, combined with the staggeringly pretty visuals, well-designed levels and huge sense of scale make it not only a great advertisement for what can be done on the PS3, but also a perfect finale to an iconic gaming series. 

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