At last, the world's most successful online-only RPG gets a European release. Is it heaven online, or could it be that modem life is rubbish?
James Price

Some people believe that mankind could, in time, cast its cloak of flesh aside in the act of uploading itself into cyberspace. The result? Immortality and, if you subscribe to the concept of technology being the route to an eventual utopia, a brand of virtual omnipotence. Ultima Online, being a sprite-based 'persistent state' online RPG, is almost, but not entirely, unlike that. Still, it's a start.

As game-savvy PC owners will be aware, Ultima Online is not a new title. For an initial outlay for the game itself, and a monthly subscription fee of $10, our American cousins have enjoyed the world of Britannia for over a year now. EA have finally seen the light, and the prospect of further enrichment (although not necessarily in that order), and have launched an updated version here in the UK. Hence the Second Age tag, see? More importantly, there are now two European-based servers online to facilitate relatively lag-free play.

The world of Britannia is huge. Much of its landscape consists of creature-packed woodland, dissected by the occasional beaten track between urban areas. In these, real-life players interact while frequenting stores and guild houses. Dungeons? It has them. Countless intrigues and strange locations to visit? Yep. Pitched battles against all manner of monsters and human opponents? Oh, how.

To relate the depth of the Ultima Online experience within the confines of a mere 500-word review would be an impossible task. Due to its non-linear remit, it's difficult to know where to start. Should mention be made of the sheer number of occupations and skills available to learn? Or its micro-economies and the various ways they can be exploited? What of the vagaries of inter-Guild conflicts, or the option to buy houses of various sizes once you have sufficient funds?