Microsoft's Dungeon Siege distils the essential elements of fantasy role-playing sword play and spells into an action-packed PC game.

The game is both easy to grasp and handsome to look at.

You are a humble farmer who fate picks as the saviour of the idyllic Kingdom of Ehb from the marauding evil hordes.

As you travel, your skills improve and you can recruit up to seven other characters for your mission.

The game emphasises action over all else.

It does away with the cumbersome and hard tomaster character improvement systems found in similar fantasy games such as Diablo II and Baldur's Gate.

Dungeon Siege does not force characters into becoming warriors or wizards. They pick up experience in sword play or spell casting just by doing it.

However, it is worth specialising if you are to get the most powerful spells or be really effective in combat.

The combat is a lot of fun. Each member of your group is as controllable as your central character, which allows you to try different combat formations.

This hook is highly addictive and will have you reloading battles to try various strategies.

Sometimes the game makes up for a lack of different creatures by giving you big gangs of them to kill, which can make controlling combat a little messy in places.

The interface is simplicity itself. The inventory system is also well thought out and easy.

One of the best touches about Dungeon Siege is the pack mule, which you can buy to carry all your equipment.

Fantasy games usually boast great graphics and the 3-D environments in Dungeon Siege are no exception.

Whether you are under or over ground, Ehb is a very attractive world. Even when you zoom the camera in, the characters keep their features rather than becoming pixel blobs.

Up to eight people can play co-operatively in the multiplayer mode or compete for the most kills of monsters or each other.

Dungeon Siege is fast, furious and packed with action and will appeal to a broad range of gamers.

It's great to look at, easy to play and a barrel load of fun. A worthy addition to a very crowded market.

Price: £34.99.

Contact: www.dungeonsiege.com/index.shtml
Feel good factor: 7 out of 10.