Dark Age of Camelot: Trials of Atlantis

Just as April brings rain and too much beer makes you think karaoke's an art form, the passing of a few months without the ka-ching! of new sales sees the purveyors of online games churning out yet another add-on for their pay-to-play cash cows. Not that that's a bad thing - killing the same old orcs and goblins again and again loses its appeal after a while, and I like a change of pace as much as the next axewielding Norseman. Trials Of Atlantis, Mythic's latest expansion for Dark Age Of Camelot showcases both the good and bad about these extra-cost add-ons. When it's good, it's very good - but often, it's rather pedestrian.

The Man From...

The centrepiece of Atlantis is the expansive new adventuring area dubbed, erm, Atlantis'. It's a series of islands and sunken regions, which are all that remain of the mythical land that the sea swallowed up ages ago. Now it seems to have spat it out again, along with a host of new monsters, gobs of treasure and a set of trials' guaranteed to give the hardiest of adventurers a run for their gold pieces.

Set up by the doomed denizens of Atlantis, this gauntlet is designed to test any would-be interlopers - and has the nice side effect of granting some pretty impressive boons to those who pass the tests. You can score artifacts, which gain experience like a player character, and grow in power, as well as Master Levels, a nifty way to give level-50 characters (the highest you can be) a new way to progress once again. Since many of the encounters and adventures in Atlantis also take place under water, there's a large financial investment in water-breathing potions or magic items. Add in the fact that the beasties are stronger than the average dungeon denizen, and it's clear this is not an add-on for the low-level player - nor is it really for the casual gamer. If you're not at least level 40. there's truly no reason to venture to Atlantis, as you'll simply be eaten, and quickly. You need levels, money and good equipment - and preferably, a large group or guild behind you -to get your money's worth. While the expansion upgrades the graphics engine and interface, as well as making user mods easier - benefits that all players will enjoy - the added content is strictly for the elite. It doesn't help that most of the stuff Mythic added in, while nifty in theory, has been buggy and subject to near-constant revision since the game's release.

Still, if you're a hardcore fan, you'll want it just for the neat interface tweaks, the one new race per realm and the slick look - provided you have a current-generation graphics card and the Shrouded Isles expansion pack. Just don't expect to tear through Atlantis in a weekend, and steel yourself for all sorts of oddities when you do. Otherwise, go work on your Hibernian-bashing skills the old-fashioned way.