The Witcher 3 is no exception to the rule of fantasy game horse-travel being a rollercoaster of emotions, swooping between unadulterated ecstasy and raw gamepad-breaking frustration. There are points in the game where you come close to attaining a kind of video game nirvana, galloping across the stunning war-torn countryside against the backdrop of a setting sun. However, these sublime moments are abruptly halted by rocks, fences, trees, which usually cause Geralts horse Roach to neigh and stand on its hind legs as if it were posing for the DVD case of Black Beauty. Aside from Roachs inability to manoeuvre around or over any obstacle more rigid than a blade of grass, combat while riding the hapless beast is also frustrating. While the slow-motion moves go some way to stylising the action (providing you know how to do it), the tank controls make up-close combat a sclerotic nightmare - an ailment suffered by pretty much all video game horses. The Witcher 4 needs to make riding Roach through a forest just as appealing and dramatic as riding through a field; twigs should break off and scratch Geralts face, thin branches should bend as the horse gallops among them, while thicker branches could be avoided by well-timed button presses. If you're being chased by a horse rider, you should be able to battle them with a similar move-set to the ground combat, as well as run them into obstacles and low-hanging branches. Remember that horse chase sequence through the forest in the Fellowship of the Ring? There's no reason why video games can't offer equally captivating horse-mounted drama.