An hour into playing Lionhead Studio's Fable game for Xbox, I decided I was on to a classic. I mean the kind of classic I played 30 years ago, with three six-sided dice, a dungeon scribed on graph paper and a library of reference books. Heralded as the title that would change the role-playing game genre forever, the game doesn't even come close. But it is still good fun. Initially it is all about moral choices. Do you help a little girl get her teddy bear back? Do you keep a villager's love affair a secret and take his gold coin? Your world unfolds as you travel. Albion is gorgeously rendered, and the attention to detail is incredible. 'Non-player characters' interact with each other seemingly oblivious to your presence. Barmaids serve pints in response to a customer's request, and traders fight off a wasp attack as you walk down a country lane. You learn the combat mechanics of Fable during an apprenticeship at the Guild. As in every role-playing game, the secret to your character's success is to know who you want to be from the start: Mage, Warrior or Thief. The key to becoming a 'hero' in Fable is your combat multiplier. Simply put, the experience you gain from killing anything (or anybody - remember that little girl who lost her teddy bear?) multiplies, depending on the number of blows you land without being hit in return. Master this little feature, and the game becomes a walk in the park. The down side of mastering the combat multiplier is that your game will probably end soon afterwards. Fable is just too linear and too short for extended playing. The upside of this is you can walk through the lush lands of Albion completing side quests, fighting monsters over and over again or wreaking havoc on the population. Throughout the game, you learn that your every action causes a reaction, and that you become evil or good in direct relationship to the deeds you perform and the appearance that you select. This is why I am strolling the towns of Albion causing good citizens to run away screaming. It might have something to do with my impressive devil horns, hideous scars, cult tattoos and black plate armour. Then again, it might be because of the clouds of carrion flies constantly buzzing around my head. Lionhead Studio Fable Specifications Price: $299 Pros: About moral choices, provides for interesting play Cons: Linear storyline, game too short
