Fable (Xbox)

Fable is a free-roaming role-playing game from the makers of Black & White. When your mother and sister are kidnapped, your first action is to travel across the magical land of Albion to find your father, the famed Hero. But soon you are plunged into a world of danger you couldn`t possibly have imagined. A dark force is gathering. A power to bring evil to every town and village in Albion and to destroy the fairytale lives of the inhabitants. This evil force has turned the very Heroes into power-crazed, ruthless warriors. Only your father has resisted. That`s why your family has been taken. And that`s why the fate of your family is now in your hands. Oh, and the fate of the entire world.

As you embark on your adventure as a young, callow youth, you`ll learn that something makes you different to all the others. You have a force of will. During your adventures, you`ll grow up, grow stronger, grow more powerful and eventually grow old. But how you grow is down to you. Use your sword a great deal and your muscles will build. Use ruthless cunning and refuse to care about others and you`ll become evil. Use your force of will and you`ll become wizard-like and wise. Your character changes according to the way you play.

The mystical world of Albion is immense. There are hidden ruins, huge towns, caverns and mountains and hundreds of characters, all growing and interacting, all with their own artificial intelligence. Even the ones who aren`t human. There is the option to ally with many of these characters, to learn what they know, to help or hinder them, to heal them or hack them to pulp.

You face tasks big and small, perilous and rewarding. And with every step, you decide where you`ll go next, what you`ll face, who you`ll talk to and, of course, who will feel the force of your will or the edge of your sword. The game features innovative control and unparallel freedom. You don`t have to sit thro

Amazon.co.uk Review
The role-playing game seems to be in real danger of collapsing in upon itself with many new titles appearing almost indistinguishable from each other and increasing complexity making them extremely off-putting for all but existing fans of the genre. Fable, though, is something different. Created with input from famous games designer Peter Molyneux (designer of titles such as Populous and Black & White), it aims to be as accessible as it is open-ended, as the character you control gains experience, ages and chooses whether to follow the path of good or evil--or occupy a grey area between the two.

Fable is played entirely in real-time, so there are no random encounters or turn-based battles to endure; your character gains experience in four main areas--general, strength, skill and will--during all their actions from combat to talking to villagers. Specialising in a certain area allows your character to become an archetypal fighter, wizard or jack-of-all-trades.

The game's real flexibility though is in the way you interact with other characters in the game, with the option to charm, bribe, intimidate and flatter as appropriate. A character's attitude towards you is further influenced by your notoriety within the game world and even your sex appeal, allowing you to play the game exactly as you want. The only problem with Fable is that the combat is a little unconvincing and awkward, but with so much else going on this hardly seems to matter. --David Jenkins