Kratos is finally back, madder and badder than ever. Arriving in Ireland on the Playstation 3 this March, God of War 3 is the final part of Kratos’ epic journey for revenge.

The story is a long and twisting tale of retribution and deceit, but don’t worry if you haven’t played the previous titles in the series, as the opening sequence will explain everything you need to know.

The first thing players will notice when they start the game are the sublime visuals. God of War 3 is stunningly beautiful. The camera sweeps down through the landscape to Kratos, the protagonist, who is standing on the giant Gaia’s shoulder. Gaia is one of the Titans, who are climbing up Mount Olympus to destroy Zeus, king of the Gods, on whom Kratos has also sworn revenge.

Kratos is just a speck on Gaia’s shoulder. The sheer scale of the game, as the camera zooms in and out, is jaw dropping. Even when you get up close and personal to Kratos, the level of detail has to be seen to be believed; tendons stick out on his neck and he grimaces as he hacks and slashes his way to the top of the mountain. Throughout the game, the environments remain varied and interesting and simply gorgeous,

Generally, the gameplay hasn’t varied too much since its predecessor. GOW 3 is a button basher, your fingers will ache at times with all the action; whether it’s slicing through hordes of Olympian soldiers with Kratos’ dual blades, or taking down a Minotaur in one of the game’s legendary quicktime events.

The God of War series refined the quicktime events that are now the staple of so many games. In GOW 3 they are taken to a new level, however. They are rendered perfectly, brutal and beautiful at the same time. Like the rest of the game, there is no skimping on the gore. At one point, for example, a quick time event has you hammering on the pad in order to haul a Cyclops’s eyeball from his skull.

Luckily, there are breaks from Kratos’ murder sprees. It’s not an easy climb to the top of the mountain for Kratos, and he will have to use his strength and agility to jump, glide and climb his way up. Most of the time this involves Uncharted-esque climbing sequences, which are a lot of fun. There are a few puzzles scattered throughout the game, but they are neither as varied nor as difficult as the game’s predecessor.

The sound is equally gorgeous as the visuals, with an eerie score and excellent sound effects that will have you jumping in your seat. Unfortunately the script and voice actors are not up to the same excellent standards as the rest of the game. Conversations are, at times, horribly cheesy and Kratos, who will never win any points on the charm front, seems to only have a few phrases which he mumbles repeatedly throughout the game.

This will not take away from the overall quality or fun of the game. If you are in any way a fan of action adventures, and you don’t mind a bit of senseless violence, then this game is a must play. Also, if you do want to partake in Kratos’ adventures before GOW 3, never fear, because Sony have also released remastered versions of God of War One and Two for the PS3.