Interplay's Baldur's Gate: Dark Alliance set the tone for PS2 hack 'n' slash. Thanks to satisfying gameplay and uncommonly sexy graphics, Dark Alliance was a success for both critics and players. So when Sony Online Entertainment decided to expand the EverQuest franchise into something more lively and action-oriented than the traditional massively multiplayer game (EverQuest Online Adventures came out for the PS2 in '03), the company went right to the source: Dark Alliance developer Snowblind Studios. Champions of Norrath is the result. It's a logical evolution of superb dungeon-crawling gameplay from the people who do it best. And this time around, it's got online play.