The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings is a dark and gritty sword and sorcery game, so removed from Tolkien's legendary high fantasy epic that it takes a moment to swipe at it from afar.

One of the myriad ways The Witcher 2 improves over the first game in the series is its writing, particularly its sense of humor. Witching is serious business, especially when you're hunting for someone that's lopping off the heads of your favorite monarchs, but like any great action adventure film the game blows off steam from time to time with a measured dose of levity.

The humor often plays off the thoughts of the player. For instance, in the scene above an NPC is explaining the various items necessary to cure a fallen comrade of a deadly poison. Just as the list is beginning to get ridiculously long and complicated, Geralt and his Elven ally (depending on how you play) decide it's time for a little smartassery.

See? It's not all shiny graphics and naked polygons.