Simply put, DragonRealms is a game worth playing. It's nearly endless in scope with new attractions, lands, and hunting grounds opening up all the time. The newest addition to Elanthia is the Maritime Expansion and it delivers what you'd expect from a seafaring expansion. During the course of exploring the new province of Qi’Reshalia I came across one of the all-time sucker punches in the game industry – simulated fishing. I'm ashamed to say it, but I love it. There's a huge variety of fish to catch, many with quite eloquent descriptions. Unfortunately, you can't sell fish yet (or at least I could never find anyone who'd buy them). It's rumored that this will be added soon. Otherwise, the new islands and cities were a pleasant change to the congested environs of The Crossing. Nice sandy beaches and slow boat rides are definitely my cup of tea. Very few novices around as well, mostly a much more experienced group of characters. However, there's a darn good reason for this. Hunting and adventuring in the Maritime Provinces is not for the novice. I've seen a recommended circle, or level, of at least 20 to safely hunt outside of Ratha or Aesry. In the month I've spent wandering the realm of Elanthia, I've never made it beyond 6th circle. It takes time to develop a character and well it should.

So, is this game fun? Yes. I enjoy it and will probably return to play. However, it's not for everyone. Developing characters can frustrate the most patient player. Dealing with obnoxious thieves and the occasional player-vs.-player problem is a challenge. Also, there are no pictures. I'm a visual person and this drives me nuts. I want to see what a goblin looks like, not just read that it's wearing a hood and carrying a short sword. On the flip side, I won't play many of the other online role-playing games because they're ugly. I also hate they way the designed their goblins. Go figure. My point is that, the text interface is an open canvas. You can do with it what you will. During the game, you'll find yourself intensely watching text scroll by trying to catch all the dialogue or read all the descriptions. In a graphics based game, I'd be watching all the pretty pictures. Text-based gaming is just a different approach to make an enjoyable game.

Does this game have problems? Yes. Text-based interfaces are not easy. There’s no clear rulebook or command chart. All skills necessary to survive for the player or the character are learned within the game by experimentation and asking others for help, but not from any out-of-game booklet. Player frustration is the number one problem encountered in DragonRealms, especially for new players. I’ve encountered a number of times with different characters a real wall around the 5th or 6th circles. You bore with hunting. Your skills are creeping up slowly. There’s big and bad critters out there, but you’re still too much a wimp to really challenge them. An invasion force makes its way to the gates of The Crossing and you can just run and hide. I don’t know what to say. I’ve never had a character progress beyond 6th. I think the best way to work through this period is to just stop doing whatever you’ve been doing for the past 5 circles and do something else. Sit around with other characters and get them to tell you stories. Wander in and out of every building you can. Make your own maps. Then come back and try to move those primary skills again. A game like DragonRealms is about duration and stamina, not sprinting and maximizing skills as quickly as possible. Also, if you like magic weapons, vorpal blades and the kind, you’re out of luck here. In a skill based game, magical weapons are just too unbalancing. I miss them too. I’d like to see a second-circle thief running around beheading gargoyles once in a while.

I’d recommend this game to anyone who has played and enjoys traditional role-playing games like Dungeons and Dragons. If twitch is your thing, you’ll probably be disillusioned. Also, if you enjoy working through and solving things by yourself, you’ll also have difficulty just surviving. DragonRealms and the lands of Elanthia represent a simulated world with commerce and conversation and war. It’s a game that requires you to grow and learn over months and months of real-time and it’s not something you’re going to enjoy and solve in a month.

Final note and somewhat of a plug: You can get a trial membership for a month free and try out DragonRealms. It doesn’t cost you $60 up front just to see if you like it unlike some other online role-playing games. You can get there by going to http://www.dragonrealms.net or through the MSN Gaming Zone.