Game of Thrones review

Not to be confused with last year's Game of Thrones Genesis, which was a somewhat lacklustre strategy game, this Game of Thrones is an action role-playing game (RPG). While both games have their origins in George R.R. Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire novels, this newer game has closer ties with the popular TV series, including music and likenesses of several actors from the show.

The storyline runs more or less in parallel to the events of the first book and season one of the series. You don't necessarily need to have read the books or seen the show to play the game but it helps. Instead of playing as one of the main characters from the series, you follow the paths of two separate protagonists, Mors Westford, a weather-beaten stalwart of the infamous Night's Watch, and Alester Sarwyck a nobleman who finds himself faced with some difficult decisions when he returns to the family seat in the event of his father's death.

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The story is a bit of a slow burner and doesn't really get going until you have slogged away for several hours. In the meantime, you're unlikely to be sucked in by the gameplay or exploration. The combat system, for example, is confusing at first and, once you've got the hang of it, quickly becomes tedious.

It doesn't help that the graphics look fairly ropey, either. Dull textures, glitchy animations and other rough edges abound. The cheesy voice acting, meanwhile, can be downright embarrassing at times.

That said, the game does a pretty good job of building upon the world of the books and TV shows it is based on. The story offers a taste of the devious plot twists that we have come to expect from the franchise, too. Unfortunately for Game of Thrones, recent times have provided us with a bumper crop of top-class fantasy role-playing games, including the excellent Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim and Witcher 2. With these titles and several others currently doing the rounds, there really is no need to slum it with this half-baked RPG unless you're a dedicated fan of George R.R. Martin's fantasy series.