Anyone who hasn't lived under a rock for the past ten years or so has probably at the very least seen the Diablo games in one form or another. Anyone who has played one and tries Torchlight will instantly find themselves in familiar territory – and that's not entirely surprising, given that Max and Erich Schaefer, co-designers of Diablo are founding members of Torchlight's publisher, Runic Games.

Torchlight certainly feels like an update to the Diablo formula, mixing gorgeous visuals with addictive one-against-thousands hack-and-slash game play, with a central town the player can return to, in order to sell loot and obtain new quests, but the game avoids feeling like a total clone, and instead stands on its own merits as a fantastic game.

The back story of the town of Torchlight is revealed slowly through the course of the game, as the player discovers that the mining boomtown was built on a rich vein of a strange ore called Ember, which in great quantities has a corrupting influence. As the caverns and dungeon areas under the town are explored, it's revealed that Torchlight is not the first town to have been built on the vein, and the ruins of several previous civilizations are explored.

Three character classes are available– the Destroyer, a brute strength, melee warrior who can summon ancestral spirits to aid and defend him, the Alchemist, a spell caster who can also summon imps and steampunk-style robots, and the Vanquisher, an elite city guard, whose specialization in muskets and pistols and ability to dual-wield make her excellent for taking down enemies at a distance. All three characters come with an animal companion, either a wolf or a lynx, who excels in combat and also has their own pack – which they can even run back to town to sell the contents of, meaning you never have to leave the fight. Each pet can also be turned into alternate creatures for short periods of time using fish pulled from the waters in the dungeons, adding a new dimension to the sidekick.

The game itself is a visual feast, with the 3D graphics engine really bringing the dark (and sometimes bright) dungeons to life - taking a stylized art direction inspired by comics and classic film animation – described by the developers as 'Dragon's Lair meets The Incredibles.' (Or, if you ask me, Diablo, with a World of Warcraft-y sort of feel.) The monsters and NPCs are likewise beautifully crafted, and the spell effects add another level of polish to the game. Each dungeon level in the game is unique – generated by a randomized system which assembles new areas by taking pre-designed chunks and melding them together – it works extremely well, each level feels totally seamless and hand-created, but every play through is different due to the modular design.

The sound of Torchlight is also worth mentioning - Matt Uelman, award winning Blizzard North composer (who also worked on the Diablo series), created music and sounds that feel instantly familiar – the town of Torchlight has an ambient theme hauntingly reminiscent of the Tristram theme from Diablo, and all the dungeon music is very well paced, building on every aspect of the atmosphere, melding into a martial theme for combat which never feels jarring or out of place.

Every little part of this game comes together well, and for a small game it feels incredibly polished. If you are a Diablo fan, or just want to give a fantasy hack-and-slash fun game a go, then Torchlight is worth picking up from Steam   (and with the Aussie dollar as it is right now,   there's no reason not to). Even if you're the type who only plays games for short bursts, Torchlight can deliver bang for your buck, with even short playing sessions leaving a satisfying feeling of accomplishment, for just that one more level.

The only minor gripe I have with the game is the lack of multiplayer support – I can only imagine how fun it would be to play through with a friend or two playing a Vanquisher and Alchemist to back up my Destroyer. Maybe in a future patch?

Regardless of this minor oversight, Torchlight earns every one of its five stars.