Dragon's Dogma video game review

Things start rather ominously in Dragon's Dogma. It's hard to find the joy in a dragon ripping out your heart. But plot details aside, you traverse the lands with a band of fellows that helps you complete fetch quests and ward off enemies. All of this whets the appetite for the main show, the big set-piece battles. Enormous gryphons, hydras and, of course, dragons are mesmerizing to behold. They cannot be felled easily, so prepare for some annoying backtracking and defeats just as victory appears at hand.

RATING M for Mature

PLOT Interested in hunting dragons?

DETAILS Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, $60

BOTTOM LINE Pleasantly surprising