Dragon Age: Origins

A role-playing game (RPG) similar to Dungeons and Dragons, Dragon Age: Origins is also available for the consoles, but there’s no doubt that the PC release is the definitive version.

It has a far deeper level of visual detail than the home console editions and much more refined control and inventory systems, both of which suggest Dragon Age was originally designed with the mouse and keyboard in mind.

It’s a profound and generous game, too. The main quest is a marathon that will take players weeks to finish. And, should you tackle all the game’s side quests and alternate beginnings/endings, you could easily find yourself playing for many months to come.

Whether you will actually want to invest this amount of time in the game, however, very much depends on whether you’re willing to look past some potential shortcomings.

Although the story begins differently depending on the race you choose, its hackneyed tale of humans, dwarves, elves and wizards banding together to defeat an ancient evil will be embarrassingly familiar to anyone acquainted with fantasy fiction. In fairness, the plot goes deeper than that, presenting the player with some interesting moral quandaries. But it doesn’t help that a large part of the game involves wading through endless reams of monotonous dialogue delivered by some oddly unattractive-looking character models.

As an RPG, Dragon Age: Origins is relatively orthodox in its approach. The focus is on turn-based combat, statistics, levelling up, collecting loot and so on. These game mechanics are all used in some way by other RPGs. This is not necessarily a bad thing and, by and large, it plays similar to other games Bioware has produced, so if you enjoyed Baldur’s Gate, Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic or Mass Effect, then you should feel at home here too.

Dragon Age: Origins is a satisfyingly sophisticated RPG with an agreeably traditional feel and an epic sense of scale.

But, thanks to a derivative plot, some pompous dialogue and an occasionally misguided visual style, this game could prove to be too heavy-going for all but the most dedicated of role players.

PEGI age rating: 18+