There's a second Monster Hunter World beta on PlayStation 4 this week. It runs from 22nd December right through to Boxing Day. Goodness me is Christmas really that close?!

The exact start and finish times are: 22nd December 5pm GMT/6pm CET/9am PST, through to 26th December 5pm GMT/6pm CET/9am PST.

You can download and install the Monster Hunter World beta in preparation from today. If you already have the game installed from the first beta, you're all set. And if you need any tips and guidelines for playing the Monster Hunter World beta, we have just the piece for you.

Monster Hunter World finally brings the long-running and well-loved handheld series into the frontroom, to the PS4 and Xbox One (and PC at a later date) with blockbuster production values to match.

It's a first impression Capcom is clearly eager not to biff up, so has made World the most welcoming and accessible Monster Hunter yet. Series fan Martin Robinson was bowled over by it.

"If there's any justice this will be the game that can spread the word to a wider audience," he wrote in his Monster Hunter World preview, "and that can teach the world the joys of patiently smashing fantastical animals to bits. Capcom's refitting of one of its signature series is at once streamlined and expanded, and it'd take a calamity between now and its release next January to prevent this from being the very best Monster Hunter yet."

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Monster Hunter World is due for release 26th January 2018 on PS4 and Xbox One, with a PC version to follow.