It's arrived! What a lovely collector's edition it is too: a very sturdy embossed and faintly metallic card slipcase with the game in its standard packaging and a 160 page guide, and a seperate 40 page book with a soundtrack CD and lots of artwork and notes.

Once I decide what kind of character to start off with I shall give it a whirl. Starting classes are more about equipment than skills as - in one of the game's most attractive features - any class can be tailored into anything. I like sword and board fighting, and the heavier armour looks very attractive in the screenshots. I might try a spear as a secondary weapon since this is one of those rare, rare games where they can be used in an accurate manner with a shield (think hoplite: shield up and rapid stabs) instead of the usual "Yay, let's flail around and hit people with the shaft of the spear while leaving my guard completely open!"