What came first; the chicken or the egg? Although not officially connected in any way, there is no question at all that both Conan and the outstanding God of War have influenced each other in many ways. You see, upon playing Conan it's abundantly clear that the developers have spent quite a bit of time playing God of War, unashamedly ripping the battle mechanics straight out of Sony's outstandingly violent epic. The action in Conan is also very dark and aggressive, with a brooding anti-hero at the forefront much akin to God of War's anti-hero, Kratos. So far, so similar then. Well, before accusations of plagiarism are shouted from the rooftops, it should be noted just how much Robert E. Howard's creation influenced God of War in the first place; there can be little doubt that the folks at Sony had Conan in mind when creating Kratos. From the questionable views on women's rights to the sheer barbarism of his actions, don't you make any mistake about it - Kratos is cut from the same loincloth as Conan and as much of an homage Conan the game is to God of War, God of War is unquestionably an homage to the character and themes of this long running character.

Although not nearly as polished or ambitious as the mighty God of War, Conan unquestionably plays to its strengths of lowbrow, excessive, brash fun. And believe me, when I say lowbrow, I really do mean lowbrow, because from beginning to end there is not a hint of intellect or subtlety to be seen. To malign this game based on plot or character development however would be to miss the point completely, as this is one of the most unashamedly fun, gory, mindlessly entertaining hack 'n' slash games to be released for many years.

From the off, THQ let you know exactly what to expect. The box art alone, depicting our intellectually challenged hero, bloody swords in hand, naked females cowering on the floor in a combination of fear and sexual excitement at the sight of Conan's manly physique, with nothing but a furry loincloth to cover his shame, really does let you know exactly what you're getting yourself into. It's nothing short of a warning sign to feminists, liberals and all those who demand substance in their game playing experiences. And if that isn't enough then the first five minutes of gameplay do a great job of confirming the obvious.

After minimal exposition, you are dropped into the midst of battle against an array of otherworldly creatures on an isolated island while in search of a precious gem. Sadly, things don't exactly work out as planned for our beefcake hero, as he comes across the tomb of evil sorcerer Graven instead. Needless to say, on opening said tomb, Conan comes in for quite the hiding before having his magical armour stolen away. From here, well, it's pretty much a rampage of revenge from beginning to end. Although this opener does little more than introduce you to Conan and a couple of secondary characters, including the scantily clad warrior princess, it does successfully portray just how vicious the world of Hyboria really is.

Once the combat starts, it never really stops; beyond a few questionable puzzle elements, this is weapon based combat from beginning to end. It's lucky then that the combat heavy gameplay is a pleasure throughout. Although it may all seem a bit basic to start off with as you wade with ease through the throngs of weaker enemies, unlockable combos and increasingly difficult enemies soon reveal a well honed yet beautifully brutal combat system. Basic combat is split into quick, heavy and grab attacks. However, experience points garnered throughout your aggressive escapades yield new moves and combos. These combos allow for more and more impressive attacks to be strung together, usually with explosively gruesome outcomes, culminating in many a bloody beheading, while the enemies you face quickly grow in stature. This really helps keep the game fresh and largely free of button mashing, as attacks, especially against some of the larger foes, have to be well thought out due to their skills at blocking.

Beyond the basic attacks and combos, Conan also has a few more tricks at his disposal. One of the more useful and subsequently rewarding moves you can pull off is the block parry. Beyond adding a bit more tactical depth to proceeding, blocking at just the right moment gives you a window of opportunity to pull off one of the hugely brutal but continuously rewarding finishing moves. These choreographed instant kill attacks really do convey the over-the-top nature of the game while being just challenging and useful enough to elevate them above needless uber violence, and boy is it fun to watch Conan rip the still beating heart out of his enemy's chest! Some may argue that this kind of graphic violence is unwarranted, but Conan is a game of uncompromising, unapologetic extremes, and consequently these frequent moments of gratuitous violence never feel out of place in the world created for them.

Although you start the game off with just a single sword, you can pick up any weapon you find or that is dropped by defeated enemies. This again adds to the depth of the rather excellent combat system on offer, as different weapons allow for different types of attacks, while duel wielding allows for high risk, high reward attacks in contrast to a shield and sword combo that is a touch more refined. Although you are likely to find your own favourite combinations, due to the intelligent and varied enemy types, experimentation between slow, hard hitting weaponry and quick, less powerful weaponry is encouraged throughout. The collectable spheres that unlock specific moves also unlock weapon-specific combos that allow for a bit of player choice as you upgrade your favourite combinations, while finding the balance needed to deal with the array of enemies that you come across, as certain enemies are often more susceptible to certain attacks and weapon combinations than others.

Although you will come across a varied and interesting arrangement of enemies throughout your quest, it is unquestionably the boss battles that steal the show. Here is another unashamed example of THQ dipping into the God of War honey pot for ideas, with the epic boss battles having more than a passing resemblance to the battles that God of War players are intimately familiar with. Saying that, Conan does imitate extremely well, with a collection of boss battles that continually impress and challenge in equal measure while throwing in a few successful ideas of its own.

As you progress through the game, coming across more and more difficult adversaries, you are treated to a number of magical powers. This really could have ruined the game and taken the emphasis away from the barbaric on screen action, but as the magical energy needed to use these powers is scarce at best, using them does come across as a pleasant surprise without affecting the pacing and theme to greatly. If anything, you are only likely to use these attacks when in dire need, so you will probably just be glad to have them in case of emergencies. It is also extremely cool to see a flock of magically created crows attack your enemies or see fire rain down from the sky every once in a while, reminiscent of the magic attacks in the classic arcade romp Golden Axe.

As the combat system is so well balanced and entertaining, it's the puzzle and platform elements that tarnish an otherwise extremely enjoyable experience. Although both of these are called upon very sparingly, they simply come across as nothing more than a missed opportunity. The puzzles are especially grating, as they ask nothing more than pushing, pulling or lighting something on fire. As for the platforming elements, well, they are ruined by the annoyingly fixed camera angle; although it works well for the aesthetic of the game and most combat situations, it does make jumps extremely difficult to judge.

Beyond the poor platforming and simple and repetitive puzzles, the game is slightly let down by questionable presentation. Although far from ugly, with some amazing combat animations and nice incidental details, the game world always looks a little to drab. Textures also don't hold up well to close inspection, with low-res effects apparent throughout. It really is a shame that THQ and Nihilistic Software have been so adamant to work from the Conan paintings of Frank Frazetta, as the dark, dreary look throughout the game really takes some of the impact away from otherwise interesting locations that range from devastated cities and jungles to epic fortresses.

Although the visuals occasionally disappoint, the audio really does bring the game to life. Ron Perlman's voice acting for Conan is spot on and the orchestral score that accompanies your death dealing escapades is both rousing and perfectly pitched. It's a shame then that the support characters don't get the same treatment, with other NPCs being plagued by terrible scripting and often horrendous voice acting, especially in the case of the abundantly topless damsels in distress.

All in all, you know exactly what you are getting with Conan; a balls to the wall action game with little need for subtlety. This is big, brash and dumb as a bag of hammers, a relentlessly violent, uncompromising adventure that's fun from start to finish with a combat system that packs a visual punch as well as a technical one. It's unfortunate that the game will only last most players around six hours, with no multiplayer in sight, but it's been crafted with care and attention and, short of a few presentation issues, comes across as a solid, enjoyable package. Conan is no God of War, but then again, it really is more than happy to play the role of little brother - not quite as epic but infinitely more brutal and all the more fun for it. Put it this way - any game that has a dismemberment count at the end of each level has to be worth a look!

Reviewed by Liam Pritchard for AceGamez (All Rights Reserved).