Fable II

By Erin Bell

Even more ambitious in scope than the original Fable, Fable II transports players back to Albion, a fantasy world where every decision you make has a consequence.

Not only that: your moves determine the person your character becomes as the game progresses.

Fable II basics

In this role-playing game, players can play as either a male or female. After a prologue introduces the main story, the game skips to the day the player reaches young adulthood and goes out into Albion to seek his or her fortune.

From there, all of Albion is yours to explore. You can pursue the main story, but you can also branch out and do other things, such as get a job as a blacksmith or bartender, complete quests to increase your notoriety, dye your hair and clothes, get permanent tattoos, buy real estate and furniture, date other characters, and even get married and have children.

Get caught stealing and you'll be thrown in jail, fined or forced to perform community service. Eat a lot of pies and you’ll get fat. Brandish your weapons in town and the villagers will flee in terror.

What's new?

In Fable II, your decisions can alter the very landscape of Albion. Towns prosper or become rundown and dangerous depending on the actions you take.

A particularly fun new addition is a dog companion who can sniff out treasure and learn cute tricks.

A Co-op mode lets a second friend tag along as a "henchman" and share in your wealth and experience points.

Choices and consequences

In spite of Fable II’s wonderful sense of humour, the game’s extremely liberal world does allow players to dabble in the seedier aspects of life, such as drinking, gambling and even soliciting prostitutes. Unlike other games, however, Fable II always leaves the choice to be "good" or "bad" to the player.

While parents should think carefully about letting younger children play Fable II, the game's rich and immersive world make it easily one of the best role-playing games of the year.