'Fable 2' has the tech and storyline goods

Upgrading from Xbox to the 360 was sure to improve "Fable" visually, but beyond the cosmetic, the series itself has grown up.

Along with truly stunning visuals, "Fable 2" offers new options and a huge new variety of places to explore and quests to take up that improve on the original and make the game even more fulfilling.

More than anything else, "Fable 2" is a game about choice. As you grow from penniless urchin to one of the most powerful citizens of Albion, you're asked to choose your own path again and again. Will you work for the local sheriff as a bounty hunter or become a slaver or an assassin? Will you protect the innocent or cut them down? Will you dedicate yourself to studying magic or just your trusty sword? Will you have a family and kids or wander from home to home?

The result is far more than a morality tale in video game form. Your choices impact your characters interactions with everyone he or she meets along the way. They also tend to build up a strong attachment between the player and the world. Your play style impacts the setting in several ways that either open up new opportunities or close up possibilities as you move on your path. If as a child you were kind to merchants and constables, you'll find your hometown a much nicer place when you return there as an adult. If you were a friend to thugs and criminals they'll rule your streets and remember you as someone they can work with to further their agendas.

Those decisions also impact your appearance and that of your faithful dog, another new addition to "Fable 2." The dog's main game utility comes from barking out warnings about incoming danger and sniffing out treasure and the correct path. But besides the mechanics the pet is also adorable. He'll romp around getting pet by people, play fetch and roll over. He gets upset and scared but will always follow you, taking on your own appearance. If you're evil, your character might grow horns while your dog turns black with red eyes. If you're a saint, you'll show a halo and the pooch will look like a golden retriever.

You also get to choose throughout how to design your character for fighting. Capable of melee, magic and ranged attacks, there's a lot of incentive to dabble in all of them to deal with different types of combats, not to mention getting to see the impressive graphics of special attacks. Getting to know your own capabilities is good, as the bad guys will certainly exploit their own. Group fights tend to be harder than individual bosses as attackers will move around to your back, attacking you while you're exposed battling their fellows. Escort quests prove especially tricky as even if you can take all the hits in the world, monsters have little incentive to pick on you when they have a squishier target.

Still the battles against trolls are among the most impressive, forcing you to use precision and constant movement and focus on bringing down rather than just staring at the gorgeously animated monsters. While there's solid variety among the creatures that do exist, it's a shame there aren't more truly epic battles since the game is clearly capable of doing them well.

Besides choosing whether to do good or evil quests and jobs, characters can run around terrorizing townspeople by wielding weapons and using magic, steal from their houses and even murder them in their beds. Or they can give gifts, take honest jobs and buy property to try to make the town thrive. Both decisions have their downsides. If you kill someone who wants to sell you their wares, you won't find all those pricey weapons lying on the floor. Instead you need to build up a relationship or at least terrify them in a nonviolent fashion to get things on the cheap.

But if they like you too much, merchants are prone to follow you around in packs instead of working their jobs when you just want to shop. The system for getting liked by people is a lot more like The Sims than something you'd expect in an RPG. You'll want to flirt, dance, show off your muscles and generally look a little ridiculous to get people to give you gifts and discounts. Eventually you can buy property throughout Albion, but you still can't get someone to go back to work instead of tailing you wondering when you'll ask them to marry you.

The result of all this depth is that even when you're not devoting time to plowing through the main plot, which is actually on the short side, there's tons of stuff to do around Albion. Side quests give you further opportunities to choose good or evil while you earn gold, XP and generally have fun battling everything from bandits to creepy sharp-toothed monsters who were once lost children. It also adds a high desire for replay as by the end of the game you'll likely be wondering "What if-" about many of your decisions. So after your murderous rampage is over you can just start a new game and see if a life of piety really is more rewarding.

"Fable 2"

Rating: 4 stars

Genre: Action RPG

Platform: Xbox 360