The DirectX 10 version looks better than the impressive DirectX 9 version of the game. There's more foliage than in the DirectX 9 version, as well as better lighting and shadowing and better-looking characters. Funcom showed off the visuals using a looping in-game cutscene, and we got to see some incredible reflections on water surfaces when the camera flew through a port town

In Age of Conan we have to visually represent that in a manner that will retain that sense of being somewhere specific. If you are Stygia, or facing a horde of angry Hyperboreans then we want the players to be able to identify the difference visually. This isnt just represented by the world design but is also very important to the design of the weapons and armor that your foes will use."

Product manager Erling Ellingsen explains: "Usually it's icons. You click on a series of icons, then sit back and watch. I'm not a big fan of that kind of system - it's tedious. In Conan, you have to take an active part in combat; striking your sword in different directions, combos, shielding - you really fight."