Author Archives: Junior Smart

Max Payne 3 Game Review

Posted on by

What would you do if you came home one day to find your beloved family murdered by a bunch of psychos? Become a manic depressant? Turn to drink? Drugs? Not rest until you had hunted the scumbags down and wiped them off the face of the planet? Well, Max Payne did all of the above. Now, after a lengthy nine-year hiatus and with the franchise firmly in the hands of Rockstar Games – proprietor of titles such as Red Dead Redemption, the Grand Theft Auto series and LA Noire, – Max Payne is back, gulping painkillers down like no tomorrow and killing his foes softly and…erm, not to mention slowly. But has the wait been worth it?

Rockstar Games have built a solid reputation in creating games of high calibre. Just look at their back catalogue. They don’t release a game without it being tested to extinction, they flourish in building deep storyline arcs and cinematic traits in all their titles, and in nearly all their games, they invest highly in intricate details. Plus, they’re unafraid of raw violence. Max Payne 3 might not rank as their best title to date – let’s just get that out of the way – but let’s also be clear, it doesn’t fall too wide of the mark.

The quality in Max Payne 3 shows from the moment you load up the disc. Faithful to the original game, it starts at the end and rewinds to the beginning. Strong cinematics give you a taste of what his world has become introducing you to some of the main characters with real vigour and energy. Max is now a reluctant bodyguard charged with looking after a millionaire’s family who like to live fast, and die young.

The in game graphics are superb

Looking at the screen as the sequences unfold, you can’t help but take pleasure in the quality of the animation and Rockstar’s trademark dialogue. If you enjoy movies, you’ll find it draws parallels with movies of its genre – the chromatic aberrations and the dialogue between characters where key words appear on screen – there are flavours here of ‘Man on Fire’, ‘Miami Vice’,  ‘Wanted’. ‘Domino’ and ‘Lethal Weapon’. Oh, and not forgetting ‘The Matrix’.

A shootout in a nightclub demonstrates all that’s good about bullet-time – moving from cover to cover in slow motion, flying through the air delivering headshot after headshot to save a woman from being kidnapped,  shooting a vehicle’s tyres so it has to stop or taking out foes while you dangle helplessly from a helicopter. It’s scenes like this that make you semi-orgasmic and pleased you bought this title.

Max Payne is simply a badass with badass guns and badass quips, even when he takes painkillers to restore his health. Having lost everyone he cared about in his life, he really couldn’t care less and is ‘damaged goods’ with inner demons – a reluctant hero who would be happier doing other things.

As the storyline develops, it is hard not to be engaged with Max and the struggle he gets drawn into. And wow! What a struggle he has on his hands…or rather, you have. Max Payne 3 will prove to be one tough game for some players and some levels especially can be hugely frustrating. Enemies are just so numerous and hard to kill, leg shots won’t do it, chest shots won’t always do it and if they have head gear expect to expend a whole clip. Even when enemies go down, they will fire a last few rounds to take you down with them. Now, some will argue that my criticism is unfair, after all, a game where enemies fall to the ground like dominoes would quickly become boring and let’s be honest, Max Payne himself only needs a handful of painkillers to restore his entire health. However, when some guy you have shot point-blank in the chest gets up a few seconds later and comes running at you, and delivers a head shot that means you have to restart, excuse the pun, but it is a tough pill to swallow.

It’s flaws like this that start to creep in, and the longer you play, the more apparent they become. Painkillers are few and far between and the checkpoints are unevenly and unforgivingly spread which means if you die, you will often have to redo entire sections again, and with the game as challenging as it is you can expect to die more than once.

Because of this, frustration quickly sets in. I think the programmers realised this because if you die in a section too many times the game will restart you with extra painkillers. It’s a weird compensation, especially thinking you may have to die a good number of times to get it. The steep difficulty curve also means that to survive you are forced to engage bullet-time more often and then entire stages just become a repetitive matter of slowing things down and holding out long enough behind cover.

It’s also a shame too, that unlike the original game, Rockstar did not build in some kind of bullet-time reward system so that you could increase the length of time you could enter slo-mo. I can’t help thinking it was a bit of a missed opportunity. However, if you do manage to stick with it ,you are rewarded with a dark and deep storyline full of betrayal and deceit, not to mention some of incredible set pieces.

In multiplayer, Max Payne 3 delivers excellently too. At first you’re limited to straight death-match and team death-match modes and it all feels slow and a little second-rate, but prolonged play provides benefits.

Bullet-time makes all the difference, with its use balanced by the same post-slow-mo movement issues as in the single-player game, and by the fact that it also affects line-of-sight targets, not just your character. Gain enough kills in the boot-camp scenarios, and you can also join in a Gang Wars mode. This sees two teams running through objectives in a themed mini-campaign. It’s another example of a game that can start off on the wrong foot, but that works hard to turn your initial impression around.

My Verdict
Max Payne 3 might not be Rockstar’s best work to date, but it probably is the best example of its genre. What Rockstar brings to Max Payne 3 is style, personality, cinematics, gritty rawness and an exciting and memorable experience. Max Payne 3 might not be perfect and might be frustrating as hell. But one thing’s for sure, it packs a mean punch and, despite its flaws, is a quality title

9/10

THQ ANNOUNCES DARKSIDERS II COLLECTOR’S EDITION FOR EUROPE

Posted on by

THQ announced today that a Darksiders II Collector’s Edition is available for pre-order on the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and Windows PC.

The Darksiders II Collector’s Edition will include The Limited Edition version of the game as well as a life-sized replica Death Mask with display stand, a unique Shadow of Death armour and scythe set with enhanced stats, a digital copy of the Darksiders II sound-track and a hard-cover Darksiders II art book. The Collector’s Edition will be available in limited quantities as a pre-order item only and is anticipated to sell for around £79.99.

In UK & Ireland the Collector’s Edition will be available from GAME, HMV, Amazon, Play.com, Gamestop and other select retailers as well as the THQ.com store.

The Darksiders II Limited Edition will include the standard retail game along with a unique code allowing the purchaser the opportunity to download the game’s first single player downloadable content pack, Argul’s Tomb for free once it becomes available. All pre-orders of Darksiders II will receive the Limited Edition version of the game at no additional cost.

Darksiders II follows the exploits of DEATH, one of the four horsemen of the Apocalypse, in an action-packed tale that runs parallel to the events in the original Darksiders game. This epic journey propels DEATH through various light and dark realms as he tries to redeem his brother WAR, the horseman blamed for prematurely starting the Apocalypse in Darksiders.

The original Darksiders, released in January 2010, received critical acclaim including the Best Fantasy Game 2010 award from IGN. Darksiders followed the story of WAR, wrongly accused of starting the apocalypse, on a quest to reclaim lost honor and take revenge on those who wronged him.

Want to check out the trailer? Of course you do – have a look below and don’t forget to give us your feedback!

 

The Amazing Spider-Man New Trailer Revealed

Posted on by

The much anticipated new trailer for Sony’s The Amazing Spider-Man has just been released to intense acclaim.

Hot on the heels of Marvel’s Avengers Assembled movie it seems there will be no let up to Marvel’s success this year.

I have personally seen the trailer and all I can say is wow. The first trailer looked intriguing, the second one…well it was just more of the same but this one seems to go a long way to perhaps showing what is in store for Spider-man and Marvel fans.

The film stars Andrew Garfield as Peter Parker / Spider-man with supporting turns coming from Emma Stone, Rhys Ifans, Denis Leary, Martin Sheen and Sally Field.

The Amazing Spider-Man will hit 2D and 3D theatres from July 3rd, 2012 and is a fully-fledged reboot of the web-slinging franchise which promises a new story to be told from the previous Sam Raimi trilogy.

The film is directed by Marc Webb from a screenplay written by James Vanderbilt, based on the Marvel Comic Book by Stan Lee and Steve Ditko. Laura Ziskin, Avi Arad, and Matt Tolmach are producing the film in association with Marvel Entertainment for Columbia Pictures, which will open in theatres everywhere in 3D.

For those of you who don’t know – The Amazing Spider-Man is the story of Peter Parker (Garfield), an outcast high schooler who was abandoned by his parents as a boy, leaving him to be raised by his Uncle Ben (Sheen) and Aunt May (Field). Like most teenagers, Peter is trying to figure out who he is and how he got to be the person he is today and is troubled by all those angst’s that young people face.

Peter is also dealing with his first high school crush, Gwen Stacy (Stone), and together, they struggle with love, commitment, and secrets. As Peter discovers a mysterious briefcase that belonged to his father, he begins a quest to understand his parents’ disappearance – leading him directly to Oscorp and the lab of Dr. Curt Connors (Ifans), his father’s former partner. An elusive spider bite sets Peter on a different path exposing abilities he never knew he had and as he becomes a hero in the alter-ego of Spider-Man he is set on a collision course with Connors’ alter-ego, The Lizard, Peter will make life-altering choices to use his powers and shape his destiny to become a hero.

Fans have already commented on the fact that this iteration of their comic book hero has the fabled web-shooters as opposed to ‘organic’ webbing that used to secrete from the wrists of Sam Rami’s creation. Indicating that the Peter Parker of this generation is perhaps more  of a genius in the making. Personally I prefer the web-shooters to..erm anything organic and the suit looks better now too.

The Amazing Spider-Man will hit 2D and 3D theatres from July 3rd, 2012.

Have a look at the trailer below and don’t forget to give us your comments.

THQ CONFIRMS DEVELOPMENT OF SAINTS ROW: THE THIRD – ENTER THE DOMINATRIX

Posted on by

Thank heavens April Fools day jokes are long gone – otherwise one could be forgiven for thinking this latest announcement from THQ Inc was a prank but isn’t.  THQ and Volition, Inc have announced the development of Saints Row: The Third – Enter The Dominatrix, a standalone expansion to Saints Row: The Third.

Slated for an Augsty/ Septemberish release date on Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and PC, Saints Row: The Third – Enter The Dominatrix looks to take the award-winning, over-the-top action of Saints Row: and mix it up a little by throwing in super powers.

Executive Vice President of THQ Danny Bilson, stated in a recent press release “Faster than a speeding cyber jet bike, more powerful than a chromed-out SUV, able to leap flying aircraft carriers in a single bound… That’s the power you’ll find inside the Dominatrix. Use it for good. Use it for evil. Use it for whatever you want. As always in Saints Row, it’s up to you,”

With a franchise of reportedly more than 11 million units shipped globally so far, it looks like an incredible amount of fun for Saints Row fans and most importantly as it’s a standalone expansion will give users good reason to hold on to their copies and not trade them in just yet.

Enter the Dominatrix picks up immediately following the events of Saints Row: The Third with a story just as wacky and fun. For those of you not up to date with Saints Row, it is kind of like a mix between Grand Theft Auto and…erm something very very different. Put it this way, it has long been regarded as the guilty pleasure of gaming. Very tongue in cheek and serious at the same time, wrestlers, gangsters, guns and hitting people over the head with a huge bright pink dildo. This expansion sounds like it will add something very Matrixy to the mix and increase its longetivity.

More details and a first look at Saints Row: The Third – Enter the Dominatrix will be available this summer stay tuned to Frost for more details.

The Avengers Assemble – Movie Review

Posted on by

It’s become almost traditional, if not formulaic, to kick off each summer blockbuster season with a superhero movie.

Over the years we have seen Iron Man, Thor, Captain America and even the Hulk take centre stage in their own films, so on paper at least, the coming together of these iconic super hero superstars in Avengers Assemble sounds like every comic book fanboy’s wet dream.

But does more necessarily mean more? Or have Marvel – who admittedly have done a terrific job so far in bringing their comic book pages to life – bitten off more than they can chew?

Well in one word, the answer is no. Like the childhood Christmas present that gets played with lovingly to near destruction once your get your eager hands on it, to see Marvel’s movie at long last is incredible, but at the same time is both brilliant in its script and in its execution. As such, just like that Christmas present, it keeps on giving and in the process provides ample reasons for fans of the comic books and films to rejoice.

A film nearly seven years in the making, fans have slowly, patiently, seen the formation of this film through the little clips that occurred at the end of the credits of each previous movie.

First you had Iron Man (played by Robert Downey Jnr) being approached by Nick Fury (Samuel L Jackson), then the story of Captain America (Chris Evans) and how he ends up taken in by SHIELD. There’s even Thor’s film, (the main role played by Chris Hemsworth) which in many ways sets up the plot for this movie and even clever references made in the last Hulk film. Each provided subtle clues towards where the plot arcs were going to lead.

After such a wait, no way was Marvel and director Joss Whedon going to disappoint fans. A superb opening set-piece puts the storyline and reasons for these characters coming together firmly in place. ‘The Tesseract’ (last seen in Thor and Captain America) is a cube of immense power that both sides are trying to unlock. However, it has opened a door to another world, which Loki (played truly impressively by Tom Hiddleston) comes through with his original intention of ‘ruling us all’. But worse than that, he’s brought a whole bunch of bad boys with him. Who else are going to put a stop to his plan other than the Avengers?

Indeed, as each of these superheroes could take on enemies of immense power, it has to be a near-on war to cause them to come together and Mr Whedon has no intention of holding back his vision of what a superhero movie should consist of.

Thankfully, Marvel did not go about this movie without getting the right funding in place, so nothing is watered down and all of the super powers, transformations and adversaries (of which there are hundreds) are embellished with as much attention to detail as if they were in their own movie. The end result is pretty much what you would expect from the comic book on screen and it has to be said some scenes are jaw-dropping. Avengers will probably set the standard for future superhero movies to come.

None of the special effects would work in isolation unless there were proper characterisations. Joss Whedon and the screen writers should be applauded for continuing to build upon each individual’s complexities; Tony Stark is still as brash and arrogant as he has ever been, Captain America still has the heart of someone who would sacrifice himself for others, but just follows orders. Only Mark Ruffalo’s interpretation of the David Banner / Hulk is different to his predecessors in that he is more edgy and unpredictable. I do have to say I preferred Ed Norton’s version, however Ruffalo does an excellent job nonetheless. New characters that open up in this movie are Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson) and Hawkeye (Jeremy Renner) which are both portrayed as brooding counterparts which hopefully further movies might build upon.

3D or 2D?

Watching this film in 3D provides just an average experience, which is a shame as they could really have done more to open up the experience and give it that extra wow factor. As it is, besides a few set pieces, I found it made little difference. 3D is a medium I feel should be pushed more, especially when it can really create some stand out moments for the audience when utilised well.

My Verdict

A great kick start to the summer blockbuster season and a fantastic movie in its own right. Cant wait to see what next is in store. Oh yes, that will be Spider-Man less than 8 weeks away. Don’t you just love summer?

9/10

 

I Can’t Believe That Actually Ran On a ZX Spectrum

Posted on by

Incredible to think Sinclair’s classic ZX Spectrum is a whooping 30 years old yesterday and even more incredible to think I was just 6 years old when my parents blessed me by buying one for me and my sister for Christmas.

The Sinclair Spectrum was seen back then as the height of technology and although its technical capabilities seem amazingly weak by today’s standards, it marked the beginning of the real start of home computer gaming. The keys were made of rubber, games did not come on discs but on cassettes, Graphics may never have stood a chance, there were no cut sequences, no insertion of video and photo- mapping was unheard of. But that did not stop it from becoming a home favourite. What programmers had to focus on was real gameplay, interesting storytelling and making one fire button count for everything. Join us as I give you the run down on games that were incredible to see on such a small rubber button keyed home computer.

Daley Thompson’s Decathlon (1984)

Back in 1984, Daley Thompson was a national sporting hero so it’s no surprise he ended up the star of his own game. Inspired by Konami’s Track & Field, Daley Thompson’s Decathlon featured ten sporting events over two virtual days and was probably the cause of more fractured wrists and broken keyboards than any other game. Yes to play this game you had to erm…waggle the joystick from side to side.

Competing in events like the long jump, pole vault, javelin and 1500 metres.  If you did manage to complete the game though you would find yourself it was right back to the start to do it all over again.

One of the biggest-selling games of 1984, it enjoyed two equally frenetic follow-ups in the form of Daley Thompson’s Super Test and Olympic Challenge. For some though it created uproar – a black athlete portrayed as a white character. Nothing personal cried the programmers the humble Spectrum only had a palette of 8 colours and the black, well…it was just too dark to really be useful in play.

Street Fighter 2 (1993)

Yes, you heard me correctly the mighty Street fighter 2 had a port to the ZX Spectrum. A computer running at not even a fraction of console let alone the arcade hardware, perhaps what’s more incredible is that although it had a loading time to begin with it had no loading screen. Perhaps even more incredible is that it received high acclaim. The one fire button had to count for everything with the space bar alternating between kicks and punches. Incredible. Gameplay was obviously slower than its counterparts but to see the game moving is still remarkable to see.

 

Chase HQ (1989) 

Based on Taito’s sit down in the cabinet racer, Chase HQ was a game where you hunt down criminals with the aim of shunting them off the road before the time limit expired. Boy it was fast, boy it was frantic but was it ever going to fit into a Spectrum? Well, yes and it worked even if the Spectrum’s rather limited hardware did turn everything an unsightly shade of cyan and yellow.

 

 

 

Operation Wolf (1988)

Operation Wolf was perhaps one of the most well-known and iconic arcade games of all time. Basically, the game is pretty much a movie conversion of Arnold Schwarzenegger’s Commando, only without the funny quips and one-liners. The experience begins as you dared to even approach the coin-op machine; an Uzi gun positioned on top just screaming ‘if you are not a man step away from the cabinet now…’. Essentially this was an ‘on the rails’ shooter that set the precedent for further games to come spawning three sequels: Operation Thunderbolt (1988), Operation Wolf 3 (1994) and Operation Tiger (1998). Many of which appeared on the Spectrum. So how was this was game achieved? Well you controlled the cross-hairs on-screen but later when the Spectrum released the 128k and +3 disc versions, a light gun was released which further increased the playability.

 

Elite (1985)
David Braben’s much-loved space trading and exploration game was packed with innovations and is rightfully heralded as a classic. With wire-frame-style 3D graphics and a vast, open-ended universe to uncover (featuring no less than 8 entire galaxies with 256 planets each), optional missions, space ship upgrades and elaborate trading rules, Elite was technical triumph of its time. It spawned two official sequels but its influence on the space exploration genre remains far-reaching even today.

 

Shadow Dancer (1991)

Produced by Sega as an arcade game in 1989. It is the second arcade game in the Shinobi series, following the original Shinobi itself and the unique selling point of this game was that you had a dog that you could send in to attack enemies. The game was developed on the (at the time impressive) Sega System 18 motherboard hardware. Home versions were released for the Master System and various home computers all of which had more raw power and technical prowess than the Spectrum, but did that stop our rubber keyed baby from trying to reproduce it? Hell no…I reckon she would have taken on Resident Evil if she had the chance.

Out Run (1986)

Another arcade game released by Sega. Designed by Yu Suzuki and developed by Sega-AM2. This game was a critical and commercial success, becoming one of the best-selling video games of its time. Most noted for its innovative hardware (including a moving cabinet), pioneering graphics and music, innovative features such as offering the player choices in both soundtrack and non-linear routes, and its strong theme of luxury and relaxation. So in retrospect one could be forgiven for thinking the Spectrum could possibly have bitten off more than it could chew, I mean, the memory is not big enough on the 48k to load everything (48k being an average bit rate per second for a common MP3 by today’s standards!) So how did they do it? Well with great difficulty. I had the tape version which meant you had to load each stage by hand, forwarding to the necessary ‘point’ which was very fiddly on a cassette. As for the music, you were required to turn over the tape which was a ‘music side’ to play a pre-recorded soundtrack of the game and this just condemned the game to confusion. However this did not deter game players and sales of this title went through the roof

Yie Ar Kung-Fu (1985)

An arcade fighting game developed and published by Konami. It was and still is considered by many gamers to be the basis for all modern fighting games. It pits the player against the now familiar variety of opponents, each with a unique appearance and fighting styles. So why is it here when the mighty Street-fighter 2 is on this list? Well the player could perform up to sixteen different moves, which, back in 1985 was practically unheard of. Note too the energy bar and the KO counter in the centre of the screen and the detailed backgrounds. Look familar? These facets are now common in fighting games thanks to this title and its success.

 

Skool Daze (1984)

You think of school and you think that would make a good game, hey lets just learn French and German all over again, lets find that girl who cheated on me, lets avoid those bullies and hey, let’s try it on with that cookery teacher all over again right? Well, we thought so. In this 1984 classic though, you’re on a quest to swipe your report card from the headmaster’s office. Trouble is, school keeps getting in the way and you have to attend classes, placate teachers and steer clear of the school bully if you’re going to avoid expulsion before your job’s done. It’s like Grange Hill but with the actors singing ‘just say yes’ and not only did it spawn a sequel ‘Back to Skool’ but also was the godfather of ‘Bully’ another school game for the PS2.

 

The Lords of Midnight (1984)

My penultimate entry in the how-the-hell-did-they-pull-this-off is Lords of Midnight; a fantasy game with ground-breaking ‘3D’ visuals and an incredibly rich mix of classic adventuring. It was possible to win the game in one of three ways, all focused on the destruction of Doomdark the Witchking of Midnight. You could play it as a straightforward adventure, as a strategic war game where you’re tasked with recruiting lords around the land to defeat the evil forces or through a combination of both. The graphics do not look much hack but it was incredible to play and when you think of RPGs today such as Final Fantasy and the upcoming Dragon’s Dogma they all have a lot to thank titles such as this one.

RoboCop (1988)

A run and gun and beat ’em up…hybrid arcade game based on the movie of the same name. I personally owned this (although I was too young to see the movie…obviously and good thing too, it would have given me nightmares…)  However, the technical inefficiencies meant the Spectrum had a less than faithful port that only loosely followed the arcade version. In addition to a different soundtrack, the boss battles were replaced with a screen where the player must shoot a man holding a woman hostage (without hitting her). However this did not stop the game receiving critical success, a CRASH Smash award from CRASH, 94% in Sinclair User and Your Sinclair gave 8.8 out of 10 placing it at number 94 in the Your Sinclair official top 100. The overall opinion was that this game was better than the original arcade game. Its capture of the original material, smooth scrolling and animation, sampled speech and sound effects were huge bonus points and the playability of the game was fantastic.

And so ends our list – Happy Birthday to The Spectrum! Now…how does that loading noise go again….

Prey 2 Not Cancelled

Posted on by

After fears that the eager awaited Prey 2 had been shelved, ‘Bad Boy’ publisher Bethesda has finally come clean and confirmed that Prey 2 has not been cancelled, but it won’t be released this year after apprehension over its current quality.

The saying goes ‘Bad news travels fast, but good news travels slow’. Well this is news could not come a moment too soon. After rumours emerged almost a fortnight ago that the beloved ‘Prey 2’ was being canned; rumours that the developers Bethesda refused to deny, a public statement has now been issued that its development has not been cancelled but put on hold for further development and as result unlikely due to be released in 2012 as planned.

In a press release they go onto say ‘The delay is due to the fact that game development has not progressed satisfactorily this past year, and the game does not currently meet our quality standards. Prey 2 has shown great promise and we regret disappointing our fans.

‘We have made a substantial investment in game development to deliver the experience fans want. We are determined only to release the AAA game that fans rightfully expect, and are unwilling to compromise our quality standards to meet a release schedule.’

No other information, and certainly no new screenshots or footage, has been offered up but the news sure to make the many fans who posted on their face book fan page rejoice.

Rumours that the game had been cancelled were surprising as the game impressed most people that saw it at E3 and Gamefest festival last year. However, the lack of any hands on demos certainly gave the possibility that very little else of the game has been finished or indeed even properly planned.

Prey 2 has relatively little to do with the 2006 first person shooter and follows a new character who is marooned on an alien planet and forced to become a bounty hunter.

If you haven’t seen the trailer for this game then take a real look below and enjoy; this might be all we see of the game for a while. Then again, another good saying is ‘Everything comes to those who wait’. Well Time will tell if this game will be everything we come to expect of ‘Bad Boy’ publisher Bethesda.

 

Warwick Castle Review – An Underestimated Hidden Gem!

Posted on by

School holidays are well underway and with so many various attractions prying for your attention via different media and even social networks, one could be forgiven for overlooking Warwick Castle as being far too historic for children. But to do so would be a huge mistake. As I discovered on a recent visit to the castle, it is a place of wonder, mystery and magic. A place where young girls can become princesses and young boys can pull the legendary sword from the stone and be declared King to rapturous applause. Where knights fight gallantly to defend the kingdom and where dark secrets are kept hidden away in dungeons.

Warwick Castle represents an interesting combination of a modern visitor attraction in a historic location. A real medieval castle in Warwick, the county town of Warwickshire it takes just 1 hour 15 minutes to get there directly by train from London Marylebone station and is only a 10-15 min walk from the station.

The surrounding countryside and castle are incredible to see. Built by William the Conqueror in 1068 the castle simply oozes regality and by itself represents a remarkable piece of English heritage, but to stop there would be to miss out on some of the core attractions that will keep both young and old imaginations enthused like wildfire. I have tried my best to capture some of the amazing experiences I had the pleasure of enjoying but in truth, there is more to see than is capable in one day. Nevertheless taking the little one out to Warwick castle proved an impeccable treat. Highlights included:

The Castle Dungeon

Dank, pungent and scary this was very much akin to The London Dungeon experience.

I guess the dark colours mean she isn't joking...

One bears witness to perhaps one of the most frightening times in history: 1345 a time of the plague. A period of real hopelessness and fear, a time where people suffered relentlessly and prayed for redemption. Walking though the gates you are transported into the castle dungeon, greeted by scary monks, castle cooks, decaying bodies, torturers, court room judges, execution and where you can literally got lost  in ‘the labyrinth of lost souls’. I won’t give away anything from the storyline but for me personally the final room proved the most scary, representing something from a scene of both Blair Witch and Paranormal activity, it was very unnerving. A foreboding sign outside does say ‘Not suitable for under 10′s and there was some brave children who came inside and were very brave. However, for wussies like me, I found myself covering my eyes most of the time and praying the rest of the time. It has to be said that the actors were first class professionals, truly bringing this horrible part of history to life.

Merlin: The Dragon Tower

Based on the BBC’s hit series Merlin; this real life tour gave my little one and I the chance to experience the magic of Merlin first hand. Beginning in a book shop where a young apprentice has been told to guard the secrets of the Elders’ magic we follow her to the magical mirror through which we could talk to The Great Dragon. This was a fantastic treat for all the kids and it was amazing to see their eyes light up at actually being able to interact with the character from the television show. The technology used really shone; this wasn’t some pre-scripted video we were watching the dragon asked questions of the audience, repeated a couple of people’s names and even told us our destiny; to be future warriors of the kingdom apparently. It was incredible, however I found the experience to be short-lived. It would have been great if more had happened to extend the encounter.

Warwick Warriors display –

Warwick Castle has a number of different events happening dependant on the day, the weather and the

The sword fighting is amazing

season. Rolling alternatively to the Jousting Knights is the Warwick Warriors. My advice is to always check the time of key events as you arrive and plan your day accordingly so as not to miss anything. The Warriors perform once daily and are a feast on the eyes. Why? Because they are the closest any of us will get to actually seeing a real life sword fighting display in person. Again the quality of the acting, the atmosphere, everything works together to give quite a profound experience and one where the actors will break any misconceptions that you might have had about knights and sword fighting.

The Princess Tower – 

The Princess Tower represents probably the real life dream of every young girl and maybe a few adults too. Going through what is perhaps the largest doorway I’ve seen, the little ones were enthused to actually sit in a throne and have their pictures taken. Going up a long spiral staircase took us to the tower adorned with picture frames of different princesses all over the world. Going through to an adjoining room we were greeted by a princess who taught us exactly what it means to be one. Can you feel a pea under your bed? Can you kiss a lot of frogs? Well I sure have anyway. Finally a magic mirror opens up and we get to choose a wedding dress for the princess’s bestest friend. Like all the other experiences I found the acting to be first class and if anything it is their belief in what they are doing that means the children are thrilled and follow into the fantasy.

Birds of Prey – 

There was an impressive flying demonstration of some of the most amazing birds in the castle demonstration.

The Bird display is pretty incredible - the birds get real up close to visitors...

The bird handler was knowledgeable and seemed to make even the most mundane information sound fun. I saw Harris’ Hawks, Eagles with incredible wing spans and a huge Owl that seemed to have his own diva moment. It was fun to watch and because the birds are so well-trained they get right up close and personal. To see them fly is astounding.

Food and Drink –

Next on our stop was a bite to eat and we were pleasantly surprised to find quite a few venues within easy walking distance of the main attractions all with a different range of food and drink. There are quite a few marquees within the landscaped grounds but we opted for the 18th Century Coach House, which offered a pub style menu and we were pleased to see healthy snacks shown on the menus by the ‘Healthier Choices’ logo. We were also provided with free fresh fruit salad for the children’s meals which I thought was a real nicety.

Sword in the Stone Show –

Here the legendary tale of Arthur came to life. Within the gathering crowd the forces of good and evil stirred. Was the power of Good, justice and a bright new future going to befall the kingdom or was its destiny going to be ruled by darkness?  According to the story only the new King Arthur had the pureness of character to pull the legendary sword Excalibur from the stone. Again this was another real treat for the family; the acting first class, drawing you into the world of fantasy – very good indeed.

The Kingmaker – 

This is more for the history buffs amongst you, more like a museum than anything else. Here you can find out how weapons were made, how armour was crafted and see what mediaeval life was really like through sights, sounds and even smells. Like most of Warwick Castle this is history without barriers, and without ‘do not touch’ signs; you can get right up close and personal with your experience, try on helmets and touch and hold swords that would have been used in battle.

The Towers & Ramparts – 

Taking a well deserved rest from fantasy lands full of Princesses and stories of Merlin I decided to explore and check out the tower. Outside a sign warned me ‘One Way Only’ I wish I had taken heed; there are so many steps involved in getting to the top of the castle I needed a much-needed rest. However in truth it was all worth it as the view was awesome to see and I took loads of unbelievable shots of the surrounding countryside and the rest of the tower which, it has to be said is marvellous.

The Grounds & Gardens – 

I thought I would mention this if only to reiterate the fabulous layout of the grounds. My partner and I belong to the National Trust and getting away from it all is something we frequently relish as we live in the heart of

Besides the attractions - the castle grounds too are there to be enjoyed...

London. First built in 1068 on the orders of William the Conqueror, it formed the most important part of the Norman castle’s defence system. The hill by the castle has been described as the perfect vantage point, not for defending against marauding troops but for taking in the beautiful unfolding views of these peaceful grounds.  Walking around the gardens is incredibly tremendous and peaceful. Animals such as peacocks and birds are so well-kept that they just move freely. On our visit two peacocks went into their own fashion display in getting the visitor’s attention.

Firing of the Trebuchet –

The last thing we had time for was the demonstration of the castle’s Trebuchet. Effectively an old-fashioned manpowered catapult, used to keep enemies at bay. Again brought to life by first class actors and the Duke of the Castle who was more than happy to share useful info as to how it all worked and came about.

My Verdict

In one word: incredible.Warwick Castle has earned the term The Ultimate Castle but in reality the words don’t do it justice. There is so much to see that you probably won’t fit it all in one visit. Throughout our entire trip I saw many happy faces; children fulfilling their fantasies, adults with that tell-tale look on their face and not just because they had stayed at the hotel (it’s haunted apparently). I’m not sure but it has that rare effect of tapping the imagination that the bigger parks with all their big rides and commercialism seem to miss and what’s more it does it all simply, whether that is swords, whether that is soldiers on horse back whether it is Merlin and tales of magic. All staff I met were fantastic, whether actors or working on the gate, in the cafe, or the shop, it all added to making the visit more enjoyable.

Things you need to know:

Book online 7 days in advance

If you book online 7 days in advance you can save 30% off admission fees; book 48 hours in advance and save 20%: purchase a Warwick Castle Kingdom Ticket for entrance to Warwick Castle, The Castle Dungeon (over 10s only) and Merlin: The Dragon Tower for adults from £21.42; children aged 4-11 years from £18.06

For more info check out: http://www.warwick-castle.com/tickets-and-offers/ticket-prices.aspx

or their booking line on – 0871 265 2000

Travelling by Train

It takes from as little as 80 minutes to get to Warwick Station from London Marylebone.   To book your ticket, just visit  www.chilternrailways.co.uk  and remember, when you go by train you get 2 for 1 on entry to Warwick Castle.

Double check everything – Check the timings of trains, events, costs, even the weather before you get there and plan accordingly. Some of the attractions are outside and on our day it was quite nippy – be prepared. Also some shows are not repeated so it makes sense to plan ahead.

Have some spare cash – there is only one cash-point that I saw inside, and some of the attractions you have to pay for and kids always want snaps which cost too. When you plan ahead take these costs into consideration.

If you have the guts do try to stay over – the hotel is apparently a treat for the senses (so I am told) and lets face it there is too much to do in one day.

For more info check out

http://www.warwick-castle.co.uk/

As if you needed any more convincing – you should check out the video below