It's tough being an MMO these days. Or at least, an MMO that isn't World of Warcraft. On the fantasy side, they seem to have everything sewn up. So what's the appeal of yet another persistent online sword and sorcery game? Well, how about one that takes out crafting, grinding, auction houses, and focuses on pure Dungeons & Dragons modules? How about one where you don't need to play for weeks just to earn the privilege of spending all your money on a horse? In DDO, slated for early next year, it's the dungeons and the city, and you're whipped from one to the other quickly and cleanly, with the focus on venturing with a party.

For those of us who don't have several hours a day to stab rats in sewers, DDO might be the ticket. There's also the difficulty of getting to the dungeon, a process that typically becomes more protracted the higher your character level is, in the standard MMO model. At first, your quest is just across the river. Eventually, you're traveling to the other side of the world, flying and riding interminably, perhaps dying a couple times on the way or at least fending your way through a mass of beasties. It's a little too much like work. There's one game in which I've never hit the level cap, despite having had the game since launch. The main reason, for me, is that questing gets to be a bit of a hassle.