Killing off the enemies and solving the puzzles rewards you with ability and skill points which can be used to increase particular attributes of your character. How you distribute them is up to you but you’ll need to make sure that your combat and magical skills are high as both play a vital role in the gameplay.

Combat is usually up close and personal, hacking away with swords, axe’s and clubs at a variety of grotesque assailants, but you can use stealth to creep up on the unwary to dispatch them without too much of a fight. Where you strike also produces a variety of gruesome effects – from cries of pain to gushing blood…

Magic comes in the form of around 50 different spells that are acquired by collecting mystic runes. The difficult part of spell-casting requires you to use hand gestures, drawing the arcane symbols in the air… Fortunately, you can prepare several of these spells beforehand as it’s almost impossible to do in the heat of battle…

The game is packed with interactive elements for you to destroy or collect and you are limited only by the amount of space in your inventory. It’s also packed with fine detail and dialogue that you’ll need to pay attention to and remember as not every fact or observation or clue will appear in your mission diary.

ARX FATALIS is brilliantly done. It’s a totally absorbing and atmospheric game that will have you constantly jumping at shadows and looking over your shoulder…

Price: £39.99 for Xbox.