Gameplay is an abbreviated form of Wizards of the Coast's d20 Star Wars RPG game system-anyone who has played Dungeons & Dragons will be familiar with the abilities, stats, feats, and bonuses in this game. The player creates a character as a member of one of three starting classes (soldier, smuggler, scout) and then later chooses a Jedi class (guardian, consular, sentinel). Joining the player's character are other Jedi, warriors, thieves, droids, a wookiee, and even a Mandolorian. Unlike the faceless non-player characters of other games, each member of the supporting cast has an intriguing history and even agenda. Up to two of these other characters can join your character at any time. Depending on who you chose to take with you, new dialogue and even intra-party arguments come into the game (put the Mandalorian veteran with the Republic patriot and you'll see sparks fly). Combat is real-time turn-based, meaning the turns are seamless but the player has the option of pausing the action at any time to issue orders or direct any character to use a certain Force power, ability, feat, or item. Graphics range from adequate to exceptional. Building and character models are not impressive-about what you get in GTA 3. Lightsaber graphics and environmental effects (like waving grass, clouds, and weather) bring the world to life. Battles are just brilliant, with characters pumping out blaster fire at Jedi who dash, dodge, and even deflect the bolts back toward their assailants. Complete with sounds straight out of the movies, the thrilling combat is pure Star Wars. All in all, Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic is a masterpiece of Star Wars gaming. The pacing, balance of action and dialogue, clever puzzles and quests, and loving attention to detail have set the bar very high for role-playing games in general and Star Wars games in particular. Consider this a must-have game. -Mike Fehlauer Pros: Captivating storyline Clever dialogue Star Wars feel True story and dialogue support for either Light Side or Dark Side play Brilliant combat graphics Fascinating characters (the loyal-and homicidal-droid HK-47 is truly unique) Cons: Occasional bugs in dialogue, movie playback Cannot transfer equipped gear between characters while on your ship.

There are also no geographical constraints; you can wander where you want, when you want. The amount of control you have in Morrowind is stunning. When you create a character, you can either choose from premade classes, have one assigned to you depending on how you answer a questionnaire, or create your own class. You can also choose one of 13 signs under which your character is born, which will give you bonuses, handicaps, or both. There are so many stats and skills to accumulate, you can easily spend hours experimenting with character types before you even start the game. Morrowind's magic system brings a tear to my eye-not only do you have seven schools of magic (Conjuration, Illusion, Destruction, Restoration, Mysticism, Alteration, Enchant), but you also have an alchemy system, from which you can create potions from ingredients you can either buy or find in the wild. In addition, you can trap the souls of enemies you kill and bind them into items to create magic artifacts. Very cool. And of course, there are all the scrolls, magical items, etc. , that you find in your travels. Another boon is the thieving system. You can pick locks, disarm traps, pick pockets, and learn acrobatics. You can taunt, insult, or intimidate others as well as haggle for better deals in the market. And since you can steal (or try to steal) almost every item you see, business is good! This game was designed with a thief's eye. The game itself is gorgeous. The graphics, sound, frame rate. all smooth as silk. You can spend hours just looking at the outlandish scenery and picking the flowers (literally). The musical score is rousing, and never gets old. The different creatures and people have their own voices and sounds. This is a game that makes anything but high-end computers cry, and it works on the Xbox without a hitch. Okay, so Bethesda's Morrowind sounds like the greatest thing since. well. Bethesda's Elder Scrolls II, but does it have any flaws? Well, Morrowind is definitely geared toward magic users and thieves, but it is lacking when it comes to fighting. There are many battles in Morrowind, but they boil down to clicking your button and hitting your foe with either a melee or missile weapon. That's it. Combat gets old fast. In addition, the travel journal is purely elementary. It lists all the quests you undertake, but there is no way to sort them, or erase quests that you have finished. After a while, it takes a long time to find information. This is probably the biggest flaw in the game. Bottom line: Morrowind is a PC-style RPG for a PC-style console. This game is reason enough to buy an Xbox, and will have hard-core RPG fans singing its praises for years to come. -Bryan Karsh Pros: Thief and magic-user heaven Do whatever you want Beautiful graphics and sound Cons: Simplistic battle system Can't sort/edit quests in travel journal Morrowind is an epic, open-ended single-player role-playing game where you create and play any kind of character you can imagine. Your actions define your character, and your gameplay changes and evolves in response to your actions. Confront the assassins' guild, and they take out a contract on you. Impress them, and they try to recruit you instead. No two sagas are the same in the world of Morrowind. The end result is the most open-ended RPG possible-one with an infinite number of possible paths through the game.

People comment on your successes and failures, your appearance, and your behavior. Fable: The Lost Chapters offers gamers character customization choices that will impact your appearance. The denizens of Albion's many opinions are expressed through applause, mockery, trepidation, panic, and even flirtation if they feel so inclined. Each person you aid, each flower you crush, each creature you slay, will change this world forever. In Fable: The Lost Chapters, gamers decide: "Who will I be?".

The controls are justifiably complex, but adjusting to them is not difficult. You see your sims from an overhead perspective that you can both rotate and zoom. You direct their actions by moving a line cursor to where you want them to go or to what object or person with which you want them to interact. The game is surprisingly funny. Neglect your sims and they'll shout and wave their arms to get your attention. Allow one's energy to get too low and he or she will likely collapse and sleep right where they were standing. When that happens, Mom is likely to serve them dinner on the floor. Gamers may find that it takes a while to get the hang of The Sims' style and control scheme. Stick with it and you may find real time fast-forwarding by. -Porter B. Hall -The text of this review refers to the PlayStation2 version of the game. Pros: Interesting, open-ended gameplay Lots of quirky humor Two-player split-screen option Cons: Can be frustrating for those unfamiliar with strategy games Controls take some getting used to Long save times.

Although the Oddworld games for the PlayStation had spot-on personality and gameplay, the Xbox has truly brought the developers' visions to life. Oddworld Inhabitants has crafted a captivating experience that's imaginative, clever, and beautiful. Simply put, this is a must-have Xbox title. -Raymond M. Padilla Pros: Unmatched uniqueness and personality Awe-striking cutscenes Addictive brainteasers Cons: Might not have enough action for impatient gamers Quite possibly, too strange for some The power-packing Xbox hardware delivers the third Oddworld title in one of the most brilliantly realized settings to grace any gaming system. Blending unique gameplay, humorous characters and interactions, and the aforementioned graphics, Munch's Oddysee simply feels unlike any other game in the 2001 console gaming lineup. Players control two characters in the game: Munch, a wheelchair-bound hero, and Abe, a character some gamers will recognize from previous Oddworld games. Their goal is to find and free the Mudokon queen, keeper of the remaining eggs of an endangered species. Both characters feature unique talents that, via a tag-team style of play, propel the player through the game. For instance, Abe can climb and jump to reach new areas, as well as temporarily possess an enemy's soul via a chant. The web-footed Munch can swim to new areas and, when on the roll in his wheelchair, use his sonar plug to control machinery remotely. Saving an entire race also requires a coordinated effort on everyone's part. To get the job done quickly, players can deliver verbal commands to kinsmen. They'll gladly greet you (in a witty manner), then gang up on a mean-spirited enemy or accomplish difficult tasks for you. As with the rest of the game world, the finely detailed characters and environments, as well as a refreshing charm, draw you into an experience with the quality of a Pixar film. Prepare for gaming to get very odd indeed.