Often touted as the greatest RPG ever made, Fable proved that it in fact did not live up to that hype when it arrived on the Xbox last year. Don't get me wrong though; the game ranks as one of my favorite action/RPG experiences of all time. It's just that there were a few minor things such as overall length, lack of "real" depth in the good/evil system and things to do after beating it that (in my opinion) kept it from reaching perfection. Then again, is there really such a thing as a "perfect" game?

If you don't own an Xbox (or a 360) and tend to lean towards PC games, you've no doubt heard about the buzz surrounding the title, but were left out in the dark. Don't worry though friends, Microsoft hasn't forgotten about you or your custom gaming rig. Fable: The Lost Chapters has been released and it even includes some goodies that the original Xbox version lacked. Unfortunately for those of you who may have adventured your way through the first version, these changes don't really warrant a double dip.

As any hardcore PC gamer should know, Peter Molyneux is a pretty big name in the gaming industry. He gained notoriety thanks to Populous and Black & White, which were two games that pitted you in the role of a god. While you don't get to play as a deity in Fable, you do get to play as a young boy that happens to survive a village's massacre. Naturally you want revenge. In order to do that though you'll need to join up with a Hero's Guild and learn skills necessary to build strength and notoriety. How you get from point A to point B is (nearly) entirely up to you.

Gameplay:

The biggest draw that Fable offers is a delicate Good and Evil experience system. If you have played Star Wars Knights of the Old Republic you should be familiar with this style of gameplay. Depending upon your actions you will either earn yourself light points (good) or bad points (evil) and experimenting with the system is a ton of fun. Depending on which path you decide to follow, different actions will open up for you. People will respond to you in kind and your appearance will change drastically.

That's probably the main draw for Fable; the fact that everything in the game is about style. From the armor that you will adorn your warrior with to tattoos, mutton chops and even your character's waistline; just about everything will change throughout your playtime with the game. Your character will even grow older and gain scars depending on the amount of damage that you have taken. It's an extensive system, but is severely limited compared to what Molyneux's hype originally intended.

Other subtleties regarding style in the game involve your ability to influence those around you. If you're a good looking guy you will make hearts flutter. If you're ugly with a scowl you'll make children and peasants run away in fear. You even have a set of actions that can be performed from a macho bravado posture and flexing your muscles to burping, farting and flipping people off. You can even get married, have sex and beat non-playable characters up. Just heed my advice and don't do that in front of a town guard though, they are relentless.

Your skill set even allows for yet more character customization. Nothing is sweeter than getting a shop owner drunk, pushing him outside and then going back to steal everything from his store. Sure this earns you evil points, but it's a great way to stock up on items and net some extra cash. Especially when you sell that item back to the store owner! The system begs for experimentation and when you accept an escort mission you can turn on the person you were escorting and kill them for their loot. Sure these are all examples of "bad" stuff to do, but let's face it, that's the most fun you can have!

Once you're done screwing around with the good/evil system (though you never are technically "done") it's the actual combat and missions that will keep the game going. The combat is very action packed and even this allows for more customization of your character. There are three styles of attacks that you can choose from and become proficient in: Melee, Ranged and Magic.

Melee basically means "grab a sword and kill something" and boils down to hack & slash gameplay. Ranged means going at it all Robin Hood-like with a bow and arrow from afar and Magic; well, I hope I don't have to explain that one to you. Depending upon which method you use the most, the game will give you experience and expertise in that category. You can also use points to buy upgrades for skills and improve their effectiveness.

Fighting isn't the only activity to partake in though. You can go fishing, kick chickens and play cards. Either way is a fine past time and though kicking chickens doesn't offer the financial benefit that the others do, it's pretty fun to do. Once you get bored of all of that you can wander around the countryside assisting people looking to be escorted or go to the Hero's Guild and accept quests. Generally going to the Guild furthers the game's story, but there have been a few new missions added to The Lost Chapters to help further your play time. There are even some new armaments and diversions to tinker with, though arguably not as much as the original hype for Fable promised and not really enough to make this version a "run out and buy" if you've already played the original on Xbox.

When all is said and done, the game itself will take you roughly 16 hours or so to beat and that's moving at a casual pace all the while taking in some time to enjoy the scenery and tinker with things. Fable 2 is apparently in production and though I haven't really read anything as far as comments from Molyneux, I have great hope for it. Fable: The Lost Chapters is a game that must be played by RPG enthusiasts who haven't played the original. This is a great game despite not living up to its anticipation.

Graphics:

Fable looked great on the Xbox and it looks even better on the PC (naturally). Depending on the system that you are running you may encounter some framerate issues, though they don't happen that often really. The Xbox version had some of the same problems, though it was arguably less noticeable on the console. Less loadtimes than the original console version makes this pill easier to swallow though.

Fable: The Lost Chapters is accentuated by some amazing environmental details. Everything has a soft warm glow to it and it comes off looking like a livelier version of a Disney dark light ride. The effect is used effectively though and not overdone in any fashion. Once you see a ray of sunlight hit something or peak through a tree you'll realize that the world comes alive unlike many other RPGs. The characters and enemies all look great as well with some marvelous animation and features. My only beef with the character design though is that many of the NPCs look eerily similar and you'd swear that the towns were full of the same people.

Audio:

Danny Elfman chimes in with some glorious work on the soundtrack and the rest of the game follows suit. Sound effects, music and voice acting all comes together to craft an experience that will leave an impact on you long after you finish your quest. While voiceovers tend to get repetitive after a while, the effort put into them is wonderful. There are quite a few funny sayings that you have to experiment with the system just to try to hear. All in all once you combine the audio with the visuals you get an incredible aesthetic presentation that comes across as very "fairytale"-like.

Conclusion:

Just like the original on the Xbox, The Lost Chapters is a fantastic RPG that offers up a lot of experimentation and fun. Unfortunately it still doesn't live up to the pre-release hype that surrounded it and the game is disappointingly short and limited in range. While it lasts though it's a great experience that is great for first time subscribers but not so much for repeat visitors. The graphic and sound departments are stellar and even though there are a few flaws you'll be impressed. Highly Recommended

Fable: The Lost Chapters requires: Windows XP 256 MB RAM, 1.4 GHz Processor, 3 GB HD, 64 MB 3D Card.