To say this game is short is too kind. I think the credits are longer than the game. I think the endless loading screens at Lionhead Studios are longer than this game. Now, every RPG doesn’t have to be as long as, say, Might and Magic VI, Lands of Lore, Anvil of Dawn, Wizardry 8 or Morrowind, but even moderate-length RPGs like Arx Fatalis, Diablo II, Divine Divinity or the Gothic series are lengthy and meaty enough that you leave the game feeling as if you have just been through an epic experience. Compared to those games, finishing Fable makes you feel like you’ve just spent a three-day weekend at a hero dude ranch.

This is a shame, because there’s a lot that’s good going on in Fable. And I do recommend it to all XBox owners. It’s a stylish, great-looking, entertaining adventure. But it’s not a seven-course meal; it’s a miniature chocolate éclair.