DRAGON QUEST: THE JOURNEY OF THE CURSED KING GAME REVIEW

Better known to American as Dragon Warrior 8, Dragon Quest VIII brings the long-running RPG series to the PlayStation 2 for the first time. In it, players are able to capture monsters that inhabit the battlefield. These beasts differ from the creatures you'd normally encounter in battles, as they have special names and abilities unique to them. Once a monster has been scouted, it's added to a growing arsenal of creatures that can then be assembled into teams of three for use as support characters in battle. Outside of using these monster teams in combat, players can also use them in Dragon Quest VIII's "Monster Battle Road" tournament grounds. Other new additions to the series include full day and night cycles for towns, first-person conversations, and the ability to look around the 3D environments.

Four million Japanese people cannot be wrong. That was the number of people that rushed to purchase Dragon Quest on its release in Japan. The game has now landed in the UK and the developers hope for similar adulation.

The eighth game in the series, Dragon Quest is one of the longest running franchises in the world of role-playing games. For 20 years, it has been brandishing its own mix of swords, sorcery and very silly hair.

Playing as a suitably coiffed young hero, you and your party have to venture through the usual fantasy environments, travelling around the world from vibrant villages via creepy caverns and deadly dungeons. As you move through the more traumatic locations, you are randomly plunged into conflict with a variety of monstrosities.  You have to strategically deploy your ragtag band of adventurers, using war craft and witchcraft to defeat enemies.

DRAGON QUEST: THE JOURNEY OF THE CURSED KING Format: Play Station 2 (reviewed) Graphics: 10 Sound: 9 Gameplay: 8 Enduring appeal: 9 Overall: 9

So far so Final Fantasy. But what sets this game apart from that other quintessential Japanese role-playing franchise are the graphics.

They are in a word, stunning. And in two words, very stunning.

All the characters and environments are gorgeously cell shaded, providing an enchanting world, with some fantastic set pieces and environments.

This is coupled with some great voice acting, making for an experience that often feels more like an interactive anime movie.

But this is the sort of movie that could put even Apocalypse Now to shame.

Dragon Quest is seriously long. Boasting more than 100 hours of gameplay, it took me more than six hours just to finish the first dungeon.

The fact that for the first time outside of Japan, this game is co-published by the makers of Final Fantasy is no coincidence.

Everything is beautifully crafted by those at the top of their monster-mashing game.

It does not break the mould in terms of story. Essentially it is boy with lowly background and strange hairdo saves the world. But everything it does, it just does so well.

With gorgeous graphics, luscious longevity and marvellous mechanics, Dragon Quest is a must-buy for any role-playing game fan.