December 31, 2008 - It’s been almost 4 years since World of Warcraft took gamers by storm, sky rocketing to the position of most popular Massive Multiplayer Online game. Over those years, there has been some considerable competition for WoW in the MMO genre, but none have dethroned Blizzard’s game from that number one spot, and if Wrath of the Lich King is any indicator, no game will for a long, long time.

Wrath of the Lich King is Blizzard’s second expansion to World of Warcraft, and improves on the game in many ways. The big, new chunk of land for adventurers to explore is the frozen continent of Northrend, the wintry wasteland that Arthas, the fallen prince of Lordaeron, has made into his dark kingdom. Long time fans of Warcraft will be happy to hear that Wrath has brought a lot of lore back to the game - no more of the space goats and blood knights of the Burning Crusade. Wrath, in fact, feels like it is picking up right where Warcraft III: The Frozen Throne left off, which is what a lot of fans were expecting with the original WoW. Later, as they say, is better than never.

Arthas, who was the big baddy of Warcraft III, takes up the mantle of antagonist once more in Wrath as, you guessed it, the Lich King. Unlike in the Burning Crusade expansion, whose prime antagonist, Illidan, was seen by only a handful of hardcore players, Arthas plays a much larger role in the grand scheme of things this time around. You’ll encounter Arthas a few times on your adventures in Northrend, and when leveling your newly created Death Knight character (more on this later) he even serves as a quest giver. All in all, Blizzard did a great job of integrating one of Warcraft’s biggest lore characters into the game without it being for the sole purpose of killing that character off.

So what can you expect whilst leveling your character to 80 in Northrend? Well, there are quests, quests, the occasional dungeon, and then more quests. Yes, there are still the monotonous fetch quests, but there are also quests that allow you to fight on the backs of dragons, that let you disguise yourself as Arthas’ minion, and even assault a capital city. A certain quest even results in an impressive in-game cinematic that will more than likely make your jaw drop. Quests, as you can probably tell, are quite enjoyable in Northrend. A large contributing factor to this is the return of the Warcraft lore. Arthas is back and badder then ever, and has a lot to answer for. Players may want to turn their instant quest scrolling off, as many of the quests in Northrend are definitely worth reading.

The common theme running through most of the quests in Northrend is that both the Horde and Alliance are there to get to Arthas, who has recently invaded the rest of Azeroth. Apart from interesting quest lines given by a humongous cast of characters, this is accomplished through a new feature called phasing. Phasing is an actual physical change in the landscape of the world after completing a certain quest. For example, after breaching the mountain that leads into Arthas’ stronghold of Icecrown, players must help some NPCs fight off wave after wave of the Scourge (that is Arthas’ undead army, for all you noobs out there). After successfully invading Icecrown, there will be a small outpost of friendly units where you were fighting, complete with a flight master, vendors, and quest givers. Other players won’t be able to see these benefits until they themselves have completed the same quest. This concept of physically changing the environment around you is really immersive, making you feel as if you are truly affecting the game world around you.

Not only is Northrend a joy to quest in, but it’s also great to look at as well. Over four years, the graphical engine for WoW hasn’t changed too significantly, however the art direction of Wrath shows the amount of time put into making Northrend make it look brand spanking new. Zones look lush and beautiful, new monsters look creative and fitting, and perhaps most importantly, all the animations are flawless. You’ll come across hulking Vrykul warriors, massive mammoths, and hordes of undead monstrosities in your journeys of Northrend, and all look quite stunning. The game doesn’t offer the high definition sheen of some games, however the rather low computer requirements and outstanding art direction more than make up for it. In addition to the visuals, the audio that accompanies Northrend’s scenic beauty is outstanding. Each zone is fitted with its own orchestral track, each one somehow surpassing its predecessor. The special edition of the game even comes with the 21 track album as a bonus, and is well worth picking up to listen to when not adventuring in Northrend.