18 cert, Bethesda, PS3 (also Xbox 360, PC)

If ever there was an animal that needed better PR, it’s the rat. The rodents feature heavily in Dishonored, carrying a lethal plague amd devouring people (living and dead). Their presence also provides subtext: when a noble empress’s bodyguard is framed, our hero smells – you guessed it.

After he escapes from prison, Corvo enlists the help of some rebels in the quest to clear his name. We get a decent portrait of Corvo and an engaging story that takes themes from The Count of Monte Cristo (jailbreak and revenge) and The Man in the Iron Mask (um, iron mask). But the developers seem most interested in the fictitious city of Dunwall, which looks like a cross between St Petersburg and Victorian London.

Games have a unique advantage when it comes to escapism – Dickens’s London and The Wire’s Baltimore are famously meticulous, but Dishonored’s Dunwall feels even more comprehensive.

Corvo lives in the shadows, so must learn to work from the sewers to the rooftops, sneaking into government buildings, doctors’ offices and crumbling squats. Pick up discarded paper and you’ll read heartbreaking documents from doomed citizens, like lost love poems, letters and journals; or work manifestos, excerpts from novels, and conflicting views on labour, economics, religion and even whaling.

The gameplay is similar to such modern classics as Thief and the Deus Ex reboot – a satisfying mix of strategy, action and stealth as you have to sneak around, gather information and assassinate high-powered officials. You’re generally encouraged to solve problems non-violently: Whether or not you kill someone will have resonance throughout the game – too many corpses and rats become more prevalent, panic can spread and security tighten throughout the city.

Old wives’ tales and superstitions are part of this universe, so supernatural abilities are within your

grasp. Possessing animals, teleporting or slowing down time would be the cornerstone of any other game; here they’re just small parts of a bigger, richer package.

Dishonored is an ambitious and gratifying game, and looks exquisite, like a pulsating, animated oil painting. Highly recommended.