Fable: The Lost Chapters (PC Games, 2005)

Gameplay: The controls are the typical WASD keys and mouse commands found in most single-player RPGs. The game is fairly easy to learn and navigate. The story traces the hero from childhood through adulthood, when he'll have to, you know, save the world. There are no character classes per se, but you can roughly play as a warrior, magic-user, or stealth/archer character, or some mixture of these. Much of the story centers around a main quest line, but there are a number of side quests available. Unlike most RPGs, quests are assigned by quest cards that you pick up at the Heroes Guild. It's a rather artificial-feeling system, but it's functional. Progression in the game is quite linear. In most instances, you will not be able to even leave the beaten path, since fences, rocks, and invisible barriers won't allow it. Compared to more open-ended RPGs like the Elder Scrolls series, Fable seems restrictive and light weight in this regard. Overall, it's a decent story, but it is rather force-fed to you. The game includes several interesting touches. People react to you based upon whether you've performed good or bad deeds. If you roleplay like a saint, you'll eventually have a halo and butterflies floating around. Ladies (and guys) will worship you, and you do have the option to buy a home and marry (multiple times if you'd like). If you play as an evil character, you'll eventually grow horns and fall out of favor with polite company. Although you can only play the game as the same guy, you can customize him with tattoos, facial hair, haircuts, and a (small) assortment of armor. You can control how your character's skills develop. There are other small things that you can do, such as fish, play games of chance, and treasure hunt. Overall, this game takes about 20-25 hours to do everything it has to offer, so it is rather short for an RPG. The game is certainly designed to appeal to the adolescent crowd, with hotkeys for burping, farting, and so forth. The various tattoo styles and haircuts further highlight this point. There is nothing really offensive in the game; it just feels a bit immature in places. Also, the save system is based mostly on the checkpoint model. Graphics: The game looks quite good. Character models are convincing and the natural environment is screenshot beautiful in some places. Sounds: Voice acting is pretty good, with the usual British accents that invariably seem to accompany such games. The music is particularly well done and appropriate for the various atmospheres. Ambiant sounds are also decent. Replayability: The game is probably worth playing twice: once as a good guy and once as a bad guy. It will play similarly either way, but there are different ways to perform certain quests depending on your moral disposition. If you like RPG games and can get this one cheap, go for it. It's a well-polished, though simple, rump through a fairly well rendered world. However, Fable: The Lost Chapters is good for several hours of entertainment.