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I am a huge fan of RPG type games, I'll freely admit that. So I was rather looking forward to getting my hands on the second instalment of Dungeon Siege, having been something of a fan of the original.

The game consumes the usual huge chunk of your hard drive, though with the ever-falling price of them this really isn't the problem it once was. The game starts out with you choosing your race from the typical fantasy fare - human, elf, dryad etc. Interestingly you don’t choose a class. Pick a name and then it is off into the game.

The game plays from the usual 'above looking down' view that so many RPG games use. Controls are highly intuitive and there is little need to consult the manual (always a good thing in my book). Simply click where you want your character to go, or right click on a monster or item to interact with it. An intro guides you into the 'history' of the setting and involves a powerful sword and shield that caused untold damage to the world. You start off as a mercenary, hired by the forces of evil to fight the dryads, with a quick tutorial taking you through the basics. Still, it’s not long before your best friend is killed off, you find yourself a captive of the dryads and the real story starts.

The lack of character class choice at the start is an interesting option. You choose your class depending on how you fight. Prefer to be up close and use a melee weapon? Then you'll grow to be a fighter. Stand off and cast spells and you'll end up a mage. It's an interesting way of developing your character and it does allow you certain flexibility in terms of gameplay. You can become a 'jack of all trades' and have average skills in everything or you can concentrate on one path. As your character progresses in skill they gain points to spend on talents within each 'class', allowing you better spells or abilities. This coupled with the party options allows you even more flexibility - you initially start with one other party member but can include more as the game goes on.

The sound affects are good, though not the best I have heard. The graphics though are something of a let-down. They are not a great advance on those from the original. You can zoom right in on the action if you so choose, but I recommend you don't - the rough graphics are brought out in all their harsh detail. Graphics like this are hardly tolerable in this day and age when even the likes of Rome: Total War has decent graphics and hundred of troops on screen at once.

Dungeon Siege 2 is good, and if you enjoyed the original then you will like this. It is not as great a step forward as many might have hoped, but it sticks to tried and trusted methods and is an enjoyable romp. Despite its failings I found myself coming back to it again and again to get just that little bit further.

Hardly a huge leap forward, yet fun nonetheless