Just as The Sopranos, The Wire and Rome influenced other networks to launch similar style shows, expect a flurry of fantasy series to be greenlit over the next few months. You can actually already see Game Of Thrones’ influence. Since the show was announced way back in 2007, Showtime has produced Camelot, Starz made Pillars Of The Earth and HBO, so convinced that Thrones will be a hit, is reportedly pursuing Neil Gaiman’s American Gods. All of this may not be directly down to Game Of Thrones, but you can bet it’s factored in some of the thinking behind pushing certain projects forward.

Anyway, enough background nonsense. You’re here to find out if the show itself is any good, and the spoilers start pretty much from here.

On the basis of this first episode, it seems Martin made an excellent decision in letting HBO adapt his books. With so many characters, plotlines, locations and backstory to introduce, the series seemed like a logistical nightmare to produce. However, by dedicating ten episodes to each book, the filmmakers are given the opportunity to introduce the world of Westeros and its inhabitants at a relaxed pace. Not that they have chosen to do that at all.

In the first episode, we’re introduced to the supernatural happenings occurring beyond The Wall (where the re-animated corpses of the wights are a fantastically horrific introduction to the show), the grey lands of Winterfell, the golden splendour of King’s Landing and the barbaric and raw culture of the Dothraki.

Using Northern Ireland and Malta as a backdrop, the producers have created a gritty, raw world, where we not only believe that creatures called direwolves exist, but that the epic castles that lie in the background have actually been standing for millennia. Each kingdom also has its own visual identity. The Wall is foreboding, cold and the stuff of nightmares, Winterfell is dark, dank and dreary (well, it is the north, and winter is coming) and King’s Landing is enjoying the last few days of summer.