The far-east is resplendent in mythology and fantastical stories so it's odd that is very rarely utilised as inspiration for RPGs. The last game that bore any similarity to an RPG with Eastern flavouring was the exorable Blade & Sword. Now the leading western developer of RPGs has crafted their new game from the arcane mystery that typifies tales from the Far East. As well as searching pastures new for their storyline BioWare have broken with RPG convention and made the combat a wholly real-time affair. Yet for all its braveness in design, is Jade Empire actually going to appeal to BioWare's core audience?