The Devil May Cry series has seen its fair share of ups and downs. When the first game débuted, it was a revelation, delivering slick, fast-paced action, tight controls and a bankable new hero in the silver-haired Dante.

The franchise stumbled a bit after the release of the second chapter, a game that failed to ignite the fires of gamers and critics alike. It was obvious that Capcom could not capture lightning in a bottle a second time.

Devil May Cry 3 went a long way towards restoring the franchise's lustre with gamers and critics but the damage had been done: when the fourth instalment in the demon-busting series was announced, we couldn't help but wonder if they would continue to build upon the momentum of DMC3 or if they would stumble the way they did with DMC2.

The fact that the franchise was making the next-gen leap was also troubling; after getting an early peek at Capcom's annual Gamer's Day event, we were left with the distinct impression that DMC4 would just be the same old formula with a coat of new-gen sheen applied.

Oh, how wrong we were. When our review copy of Devil May Cry 4 first appeared in our offices, we treated it with the same sense of wariness that we would have mustered had we received a box with a "Warning: Live Demon" sticker plastered on the top.

DMC4 not only represents a return to form for the franchise, it represents a genuine step forward. But don't take our word for it: click through to the next page and read our review. Now that we've vanquished a horde of demons, we have plenty to say on the subject.

Devil May Cry 4 is an insanely good looking, over-the-top action-fighting game that combines a high-drama story with crazy boss fights and one of the deepest, most rewarding combo systems around. There are some camera and save issues, but that hardly keeps it from being an early contender for one of the better games of 2008.