Continuing the story of Geralt of Rivia from the first title and picking up the plot immediately where it left off, Assassins of Kings begins, appropriately, with the assassination of a king. Our hero is blamed and subsequently tasked with clearing his name by hunting the real killer, with whom he shares a mysterious connection. Initial play ranges from the disappointingly easy to the infuriatingly difficult. However, once through the first hour, you become ensnared in a beautifully created world with stunning visuals, sounds and a well-written story, during the course of which there are many player-orientated choices that don't just affect the immediate plot but are far reaching and game-changing in the long run. Inevitably, it's resource-heavy but impressively, even if not run at top spec, it looks pretty amazing on lower settings.
There's a good 25-30 hours of adventuring to be had from Witcher 2 before reaching a climax that, sadly, isn't really worthy of the story that precedes it, but which should not serve as a disincentive from taking the journey in the first place. It should be noted, however, that it is a trip liberally peppered with some extraordinarily explicit content; its 18 certificate is not offered lightly.
