It seems that the "Great RPG Drought of 2007" is finally coming to an end with some long, long anticipated titles finally seeing the light of day. CDProjekt's The Witcher is one such title, which has been poking around in development and boasting some very tasty looking screenshots since who knows when. Inspired by Andrzej Sapkowski's book of the same name, the game follows the story of the troubled human-cum-beast-killing-machine known as Geralt. He is one of only a handful of Witchers still remaining and is known to be one of the best. In a nutshell he's got white hair, a heavily scarred face, speaks a bit like Solid Snake and isn't the nicest guy you'll ever meet.

Things kick off to a good start with a lengthy opening video, showing just how kick-ass our lead man can be. By the time the introduction is over though, Geralt has lost his memory and his fighting skills with it. Bad for him but great for us, ensuring that we have a clean slate to develop him as we see fit. To control our anti-hero there's a choice of two control sets. The first is an older, more traditional approach adopting a top-down, mouse-orientated system. The more new-age approach sees you using the now all-popular mouse and keyboard combination, with WASD moving Geralt, the mouse for attacking and hotkeys for the various spells. One major advantage of using the latter method is simply that you get to see more of the world around you, which is - for the most part - a very good thing.

The game's interface certainly looks the part, but it does feel a little dated and clunky by today's standards. It gets the job done though, with perhaps the biggest exception being the lack of any built-in help with alchemy. This wouldn't be an issue if it weren't for the huge amount of ingredients needed to make the various potions and consumables, and trawling through your inventory to combine them soon gets tedious. The alchemy itself does play a worthy role in the gameplay though, providing genuinely useful abilities such as increased health regeneration and the ability to see in the dark. Making the concoctions simply involves Geralt meditating for a specified amount of time by an open fire, which as you might expect also brings him to full health.

Using BioWare's now rather aged Aurora engine, The Witcher is no Oblivion, but boy did the development team do a good job of exploiting the technology's limited potential. The game looks mediocre at times but quite beautiful at others, with a real appreciation of the source material and attention to detail. From the period décor in residential houses to the shimmering lake that surrounds the main city of Vizima, it all looks very pretty, all things considered. During the day the dusty streets are alive with the bustle of babbling citizens, each with their own rudimentary comments. Unfortunately, the character models themselves are one of my major gripes; reusing the same models for everyday folk on the street isn't a huge issue, but when two characters key to the story look essentially the same you can't help but feel a little disappointed. This isn't helped by the use of animations that attempt to depict the character's mood, be it angry or flirty for instance. These aren't too bad and do serve their purpose, but come across as a little disjointed and eccentric at times.

This medieval, distinctly European-feeling world in which you will find yourself is full of suitably dark and gritty goings-on. The Witcher is a game developed with brutal honesty in mind and this shows in its portrayal of realistic but somewhat risqué themes. Violence, disease, racism, overly zealous religious figures and promiscuity are all apparent to varying degrees. These elements come together to create a visceral, believable and ultimately very human world. There is no better time then to salute CDProjekt for the bold decision to stay true to the times and equally for embracing the fact that this game is aimed at the adult RPG gamer, producing a no-holds-barred world in the process. You could criticize them for trying to throw too many of these real-life themes into the game ad-hoc and never really developing on any of them, but doing so would be an injustice, as each one plays an integral part in painting the bigger picture and creating a compelling and immersive world for you to explore.

A big selling point of the game is the all-important combat system. On paper it couldn't have sounded better; a new approach to combat in this, the granddaddy of genres. The basic premise here is the same as any other click-heavy RPG, but with the addition of timing. Left clicking on an enemy targets them and initiates an attack sequence. Just after the first sword strike lands, the cursor lights up with a flame symbol and clicking at that precise moment results in a follow-up swing. Continuing to do so successfully makes it quite possible to kill an enemy without giving them any chance to retaliate, but failing to do so will have Geralt stumble and pause for a second, usually resulting in a swift counterattack. The system also includes three stances - strong, fast and group (which loosely translate to high, medium and low attacks) - requiring you to apply a stance in line with the type of adversary you are facing.

At first I didn't know quite what to make of The Witcher. It doesn't have the depth of the more passive combat witnessed in Baldur's Gate and its progeny, nor the instant gratification of the mouse click frenzy only known as Diablo. Hours into the game though, I did start to feel a little more at home. At the very least, it draws you in and requires you to actually pay attention to what you're doing to play efficiently, although this in itself could be seen as a drawback to some. You are likely to be using the same few weapons throughout the game, simply upgrading and enchanting them as you go - so this is not a game that values loot over legend. The Witcher's combat left me with a strange taste in my mouth and I can't help but feel it has fallen down a crevasse between the two time-tested methods. Some will find this spin on the formula refreshing, but it certainly won't be the major attraction to the game for most.

The story however could well be high on that list. Conversation, naturally, plays an important part in conveying the game's substantial narrative. Overlooking a shaky start, the game plays out quite well, with one quest leading to another as you progress at a comfortable and natural pace. The voice acting, script and translation is of a good standard, notably so considering the game's Polish roots. There is an in depth dialogue tree working behind the scenes, whereby you can choose from a variety of answers to gradually branch your way through. This allows you to make basic decisions on how to respond to people, be it sharply or seductively, as is the best method should you wish to lure the game's fine medieval maidens into bed (which becomes a sort of twisted mini-game in itself!) Sadly these conversations soon show their true colours and often trip up in the inherent complexity of real social interaction, with Geralt talking to someone he has met previously as if he's never set eyes on them. Amusing, yes, but distracting nonetheless.

The Witcher is best described as a bit of a grower. If you can pull yourself to look past its clunky interface and occasionally sporadic dialogue, there really is quite a lot to love here. It isn't the most accessible role-playing offering though, so it would be hard to recommend to anyone but fans of the genre. If that sounds like you then as lengthy, compelling and gritty medieval fantasy adventures go, you really can't do much better.

Reviewed by Martin Oddy for AceGamez (All Rights Reserved).