Chances are, you already know what to expect from God of War III. After all, the formula hasn't changed much from the original game. Bloodthirsty Spartan warrior Kratos is still on his quest to destroy the Gods of Olympus, with the action picking up pretty much exactly where God of War II left off. If you haven't played one or both of the first two games, you shouldn't be scared off by the continuous nature of the series - the first two games are recapped in the credits, and by the time you're finished with the game you'll have a pretty complete feel for the backstory. While the God of War series' plot is a lot stronger than many action games, it's not what keeps gamers so enamored with the franchise; the God of War games are all about the excellent combat engine.

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Once again, you know the drill of if you've played the previous games. Kratos' chained blades allow him to dish out a huge amount of punishment at any distance, dismembering enemies with shocking speed and extreme brutality. It's fast, fluid, vicious and immensely satisfying - though some of the thrill is diminished by the fact that this is our third outing as the character, and games like Dante's Inferno have cribbed the feel of combat so thoroughly. If the Halo control scheme has become the default button configuration for console FPS games, the GoW control scheme has become the industry standard for action games.

The God of War games rightly receive a lot of praise for its combat engine as well as its monumental boss fights, and once again the third game delivers. Several battles take place on the surface of enemies the size of mountains (specifics withheld to avoid spoilers). These boss fights are the game's finest moments, battles that combine combat, platforming and puzzles into seamless, level-long experiences. The most explosive moments are a bit front-loaded, with boss battles becoming a little more standard as the game rolls on. Still, it's hard to complain that a game packs too much cool stuff into its front half.

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One of my favorite aspects of the God of War franchise has always been the excellent level design, thanks to environments that loop and fold back on themselves several times over. If you see a location in the distance, you'll eventually go there. If there's something in the environment you can't access, chances are you'll be back when you have the right tool. More than almost any other game, God of War's locations feel like real places, and God of War III's gorgeous environments offer up just the right mix of action and puzzles. Like Resident Evil 4, it's expertly paced and switches up your objectives so often that you're never in danger of getting bored with what you're doing.

A review of God of War III could be easily summed up by saying that it's great that that you should buy it. I'd stop short of calling it a perfect game, though. The few quibbles I had with the game were minor. I wished parts of the game weren't so dark so I could better appreciate the excellent graphics and art design. I had a little trouble with the jumping - sometimes the timing of platforming elements felt slightly off (I died far, far more often from missing a jump than falling in combat). The hit detection on some environmental hazards felt way too generous. Finally, a late game falling segment in which you must steer Kratos through a cluttered tunnel without crashing was simply awful - the worst bit of a game I've played in a long time, unfortunately reminding me of the the infamous racing level in Battletoads. But after much cursing, I got through it and finished up the rest of the game, my frustration fading as I enjoyed the rest of this excellent game. What else is there left to say? God of War was great. God of War II was great. God of War III is also great. Like I said, it's a great time to own a PlayStation 3.

Verdict: 4.5 Out of 5