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at 12:59 on March 15, 2006, EST.
By CURTIS WITHERS

(CP) - Dungeons & Dragons Online: Stormreach should have been the PC game that challenged for World of Warcraft supremacy. But with its clunky interface and stripped-down game play, it turns out Stormreach is just another entry in the overcrowded market of online role-playing games.

Veteran development house Turbine attempts to set Stormreach apart from its competition by taking out player-versus-player combat, crafting and solo questing - all staples of the genre. In its place, Stormreach offers a more involved combat system and well-balanced group play.

The results are mixed. The combat is innovative and enjoyable, and the different character classes are well-balanced. But the overall experience feels limited and hollow.

The narrative that drives the game is weak, especially compared to other D&D games like Baldur's Gate and Planetscape: Torment. And when players eventually tire of going into the same dungeons to smash barrels and slay monsters, there's no incentive to stick around.

Stormreach's interface is also frustrating, incorporating none of the advancements found in more recent games. The map is small and difficult to read. Looking at an item in your backpack is a multi-step process instead of a simple right-click of the mouse. Even the names above the character's heads inexplicably use a hard-to-read font that gives an impression of tackiness.

That said, Stormreach does have its good points. In fact, it's a lot better than many of the other online role-playing games on the market. The character models look good, the game runs fairly smoothly and there are some fun, well-designed quests.

But to do the Dungeons & Dragons franchise justice, a game has to be among the best in its class, and Stormreach falls well short of the standard set by World of Warcraft.

After all, Dungeons & Dragons elevated role-playing games from the realm of damp basements and dusty bookstores and gave them mainstream credibility. After several books, video games and a movie - regrettable as it was - the Dungeons & Dragons name is synonymous with fantasy gaming. Fans of the licence expect the best.

To their credit, Turbine does try to retain the feel of "pen and paper" D&D in Stormreach. Fans will be happy to see that all the core character classes are represented, including powerful sorcerers, sneaky rogues and holier-than-thou paladins. Turbine even hired Dave Arnason and Gary Gygax, the guys who created the original game back in the '70s, to provide some of the voices.

Not everything translates smoothly from pen and paper to the online version. Playing Dungeons & Dragons is a group activity, and most quests in Stormreach can only be completed with a well-balanced party.

This doesn't sound like a problem, but these types of games tend to play out like a junior high school dance where all the guys stand with their backs to the gymnasium wall, too scared to ask anyone to dance. Finding a group is hard work, especially for the casual gamer who only has an hour to kill and just wants to slay a few orcs. More quests that could be taken on by a solo adventurer would have been nice.

Beyond the old interface and lack of features, the biggest hurdle Stormreach faces is convincing people to pay $14.99 US, on top of the initial cost of the game, for the privilege of playing. World of Warcraft charges the same fee but offers a deeper game play experience. Guild Wars plays a lot like Stormreach but requires no monthly fee.

With no crafting, no player-versus-player combat and a lack of content for the casual gamer, it seems hard to recommend Dungeons & Dragons Online: Stormreach when alternatives exist that are either cheaper or offer more for your money. Still, the fast-paced combat and the Dungeons and Dragons name will entice some players to stick around long enough to form a solid fan base.

Survival is a good enough for most online role-playing games, but Stormreach should have tried for a loftier goal.


©The Canadian Press, 2006

just needs a bit of work. D & Dis a riot of fun when properly done. i'd think the internet would be the perfect medium.