Role playing games have come a long way – what was once just a case of typing text or moving a square around a screen has now developed into eye candy that can rival many an FPS. However for me an RPG has always been about imagination rather than nice graphics, and RPGs also happen to be my favoured genre.

Everything about DS2 should make me like it. It’s deep, it’s involving – it has stats galore to boost up your hero, loads of varied locations, numerous characters to interact with and... Unfortunately for various reasons I don’t like it that much…

None of this is really a bad thing – after all RPGs should be the most open and freeform games around – but there still needs to be a structure and a way of getting you back on track. For me DS2 falls into a similar trap that Morrowind did. Using an old pen and paper analogy; it’s like having every D&D rule book and guide, but it’s not good if you have a rubbish dungeon master running the thing.

Yes, this results in getting your stats up – but all it really means is that you are strong enough to face the next wave of increasingly powerful enemies. Never in the first few hours of play did I feel like I was being tested – as long as I upgraded my stats, equipped the best weapon and clicked fast enough with the mouse I was unbeatable - especially when enemies drop helpful potions to bolster your stats and health meters. It never felt at all challenging and because of that it just got boring.

DS2 would be fine to those people who just like to get their stats up and boost their characters, but for those who want something a little deeper then this is best avoided.