Microsoft Game Studios has teamed up with Gas Powered Games once again to produce what looks to be a stellar sequel to 2002's critically acclaimed Dungeon Siege. Over three years in the making, Dungeon Siege II: Plains of Tears follows in the footsteps of the original in delivering immersive game play and an intricate storyline. Thankfully for gamers, there are also a load of new features and improvements that will make navigating the rich environment an absolute pleasure. Although the beta build I had an opportunity to test out only had the first six hours or so, the little taste I got left me hungering for the final release.

Like its predecessor, Dungeon Siege II takes place in the strange and mythical world of Aranna. The story tells of an ancient war between two godlike beings, Zaramoth and Azunai, which culminated in an epic battle on the Plain of Tears. At the height of the conflict, Zaramoth brought his giant sword down upon the shield of Azunai, creating a giant fissure in the earth that swallowed the souls of both armies. A thousand years later, a powerful man by the name of Valdis ventured into the mountains and, with the guidance of unearthly visions, discovered the sword of Zaramoth. Corrupted by its power, Valdis now leads a mighty invasion force in search of a mysterious object said to hold supernatural abilities. Cue the music.

The full release of Dungeon Siege II will include around 40-60 hours of single player gameplay plus a multiplayer network campaign mode. Unfortunately, the multiplayer is not yet implemented in the beta version so I was limited to the single player campaign. The first thing players must do before even lifting their sword is create a new hero. There are four main races to choose from – Elves, Dryads, Half-Giants, and Humans – each with their own natural talents and weaknesses. Gender, hair style and colour, and facial appearance are also customizable. I chose to incarnate myself as an elf because, well, they were just so darn cool in Lord of the Rings. In any case, once the hero is created the real fun commences.

Right off the bat, I noticed one of the better aspects of Dungeon Siege II is its highly intuitive user interface. Everything to do with a particular character has been consolidated into a character panel that sits in the upper left-hand corner of the screen. From there players can add or drop weapons and other items, equip spells in their spell book, and choose which skills they would like to develop. Skill specialization is a key aspect of the game in which players get to choose a stream of combat expertise for their character: melee weapons, ranged weapons, nature magic and (my personal favourite) combat magic. An added side benefit is the choice of several special powers available as the character gains experience. When timed wisely, these things can really pack a punch in the thick of battle.

Game progress is driven by a series of primary and secondary quests. Primary quests must be completed in order to move through the game while secondary quests are optional. When players accept a new quest, an update is added to their character's journal and a yellow directional arrow appears in the navigational compass pointing in the direction of their next objective. Apart from monitoring the status of particular quest tasks, the journal also provides a detailed map of the area as well as a valuable handbook containing information on all aspects of game play. As an added bonus, there is also a handy reference chart of all Aranna's "Bestiary" (monsters and such) in case you ever get confused over who is who.

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