PC Game Roundup

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In most RPG games, elven mages and halfling thieves abound. Dawn of Magic steps away from these stereotypes, which sounds great, until you realise you can only choose from a small selection of rather odd characters, such as: "The Baker's Wife. A friendly plump lady who loves to spoil people with her pastries. Has a high health score." I don't know if you've ever seen a goblin being beaten to death with a cream horn, but it's a novel concept.

You can't roll your own character up, which seems a bit odd in a game that prides itself on customisation in terms of a huge range of magic schools you can invest your experience points in. There are twelve different types of magic in total, from elemental through conjuring to blessing and healing (there are no baking incantations, thankfully). What's more, spells can be combined to produce a range of different effects, which gives the whole package an added dimension.

However, aside from the inventive magic system - and some interesting item-customisation options - this Diablo-style click'n'slash is as bog standard as they come. Bash the monsters, break the barrels, pick up the loot. The quests are largely bland, consisting mostly of kill tasks and other basic fare which fails to spark the player's imagination.

Then there's the combat. It's messy. You'll fling ranged spells at enemies and they'll mysteriously miss, presumably due to line-of-sight issues, but it's difficult to tell. Even melee combat seems buggy at times, with monsters you can't hit even though they're stood right next to you. The camera angles can be awkward, which doesn't help either.