Witcher 3: Wild Hunt review – a rich adventure born in literature

This vast fantasy adventure combines sophisticated storytelling with an expansive and richly conceived world

Geralt of Rivia was born in literature. The lead character of Witcher 3 first appeared in the fantasy novels of Polish writer Andrzej Sapkowski. But his true home is in video games.

As a Witcher, he has many talents, which make him the perfect, pliable protagonist. Geralt is a fine swordsman, able to control both crowds of jabbing bandits and the hulking beasts that he pursues across the countryside for rich bounties. He is an accomplished rider, able to drive a stallion through forests and across shallow rivers - even, sometimes, in formal races on the manicured track - at speed. It's a necessary skill here in Temeria, which stretches farther than most video game lands, from the fields of Velen, with their stoic windmills and muddles of sunflowers, to the craggy, froth-lapped rocks of the Skellige islands and beyond.