Age of Conan - Hyborian Adventures Preview

And the variety provided by the different horse types doesn't factor in the War Rhino and the War Mammoth, two special mounts that will only be available to those who pre-order the game from Play.com and GAME respectively. Unfortunately players won't be able to use their character's attacks when on the special mounts, but they do have specific attacks that the horses do not.

The War Rhino, a large, grey, intimidating beast, has a charge attack and the useful Rhino Sweep, which can knock down multiple enemies and is perfect for disrupting organised groups. It's slower and less manoeuvrable than the horse, as you'd expect, so it won't get you from A to B much quicker than walking would. But this is more than made up for by its cool factor - it has four deadly tusks and imposing battle armour. Press the space bar and it will dig its heels into the ground, as if charging up a particularly devastating attack. Like the horse, it moves incredibly realistically, and makes some quite stunning noises during battle, one of which I can only describe as sounding like a pig being castrated.

If the War Rhino feels like hulking a heavy goods truck through the streets of London, the War Mammoth feels like snaking a Boeing 747 through a back alley. It's absolutely massive, so big that it needs to kneel down to allow you to clamber up its side. Its special attacks, the Mammoth Charge and the Mammoth Sweep, send multiple enemies flying about 10 feet in the air, making it perhaps the most devastating crowd dispersal weapon in the game. You can't help but feel like the most bad-ass bastard on the battlefield when on top of the War Mammoth - its two enormous tusks, flaring fur and leather-like armour on its body and face combine to pose perhaps the most intimidating sight Age of Conan has to offer. For added effect press the space bar - the giant beast will raise its snout and roar while you raise a fist and unleash a battle cry. Savage.

Ultimately, we suspect the bonus mounts will be more for show than battle, with players strutting their stuff atop the War Rhino and War Mammoth wherever players congregate. Despite their sweeping attacks, their lack of speed coupled with the fact that players themselves can't attack while mounted could consign them to the MMO catwalk. Still, we imagine the War Mammoth might be unleashed every now and again when the going gets tough. Just for fun.

It's not confirmed yet, but Funcom hopes to throw a camel into the mix at some point in Age of Conan's life. If it isn't there at launch then the developer hopes to include it in a future update. Because mounts play such an important part in the game, we expect animals will be the subject of plenty of speculation among fans when major patches and expansions are being readied for release.

Our exclusive hands-on with Age of Conan's mounted combat nears an end, and the Fields of the Dead have come to resemble the kind of place its title suggests it should. Thrud, his Armoured Buckskin horse, War Rhino and War Mammoth have laid waste to the many Nadir warriors that an hour or so ago populated the area with pride. And we've had an absolute blast doing it. We were hoping that Age of Conan's mounted combat would deliver on its potential. With the game nearing release, we're delighted to report that it's well on its way to living up to the hype. MMOs just got a whole lot more interesting.

Age of Conan: Hyborian Adventures is due out for PC on May 20.