Dungeons & Dragons: Daggerdale

16 cert, Atari/Bedlam Games, Xbox Live ***

And lo, the prophesy has been fulfilled – our kingdom has been conquered by an army of fantasy role-play games. Dungeons & Dragons: Daggerdalemixes third-person combat with role- playing as you play one (or more) of a gang of warriors who must protect their land from the evil cleric Rezlus. There's some not-bad multiplayer hack-and- slash combat (up to four players can fight side by side), some light exploration and, typical for the genre, clunky dialogue ("Ha! I appreciate your insanity!" etc). The graphics and gameplay in Daggerdalefeel like they're from a previous generation. It's not in the same league as, say, Dragon Age IIor Torchlight, but it's not without merit: the graphics are decent, the gameplay is user- friendly and engaging; and you'll spend more time in combat than wading through reams of menus and text.