Divine Divinity *titter*, an isometric action RPG with lots of depth that won a great deal of critical acclaim around the world and many extremely devoted fans, certainly made a name for itself. No mean feat with bigger boys like Blizzard and Black Isle Studios around, dominating the playground and picking on the smaller boys…… especially the ones with silly names *snigger*.

 Beyond Divinity (an improvement, though I still prefer Rift Runner, its former title) isn't a sequel, but more a standalone expansion of sorts. With some quite nifty game play additions and a Botox injection in the boat race to give those distinctly old-school looks a bit of a lift; it has to be said, it's still no page 3 stunner. There's a new layout for the interface and a brand new storyline. The quest-heavy aspect hasn't changed however, and the world in which you romp is just as engaging and interactive as before.

 With a plotline, script and accompanying novella under the guidance of Rhianna Pratchett (daughter of Terry), it comes as no surprise that the backdrop for all this multiple quest juggling is vividly imaginative. NPC dialogue; the majority of which is spoken, often turns out to be rather amusing. Much of the voice acting seems more 'BBC radio Play for Today' than Hollywood epic, but somehow this struck me as being more in keeping with the feel of the game as a whole. At the risk of causing very minor spoilage, the rather limp-wristed skeletons you run across early in the game reminded me of Melvyn Hayes' work on that 80s children's televisual delight, Super Ted. Suffice to say, if you like Terry Pratchett or Douglas Adams, there's much here to tickle the funny bone. This is a matter of taste of course, and Larian were very quick off the mark in making changes to some voice characterisations before release, particularly that of one of the main protagonists, the Death-Knight. This was due in no small part, to complaints from gamers who were less than impressed with what they encountered in the demo. Hey, so some developers do listen, next thing you know, Valve will be releasing Half Life 2 this side of 2004!

   

 Both games share the same extraordinarily deep class and skill system, and in this area, Beyond Divinity seems almost peerless. You can, for example, take a Survivor class adventurer and shape them into a further hybrid class, perhaps a wizard with strong Ranger's bow skills, setting traps and some knowledge of alchemy, or a cutpurse, good at pick-pocketing, deft with a single blade but also the ability to use powerful ranged Earth or close quarter fire-based magic. This is just a tiny glimpse of the possibilities available to any of the base classes and I have to say, without a trace of hyperbole, that I have never come across a skill path as flexible or as deep as this in the many years that I have been playing RPGs.

 Of course, with that much freedom, there's every possibility you will end up with a character that is quite literally a jack-of-all-trades and master of none. If for example, you produce a "gimped" character who is not really effective in any one area of strength, you can decide to pay to have some of those skills unlearned and concentrate on something else entirely, though early on the cost of doing so is extremely inhibitive. This all works extremely well, is as complex as you want it to be and proves most absorbing to play around with. RPGs, (even the great ones) always seem to claim to offer the player this level of creative flexibility, but seldom few deliver on the promise quite in the way that BD does.

 You're not alone in this adventure and the second character in your party is the enigmatic, black-hearted Death-Knight, who accompanies you from the outset. Under normal circumstances he would be your sworn enemy, for he is an instrument of pure evil. But by a cruel twist of fate that has undone you both, he has been soul forged to you by the wicked Samuel, a demon who is responsible for dragging you, the Divine servant, champion for the powers of good, into his dimension in the first place. You have no option other than to get along as best you can, until the forging can be reversed. And to do that you must find a way to escape the dungeon in which you are imprisoned and seek out the one woman who has the power to fix this cursed arrangement.

   

 The Death-Knight is pretty heavy duty and naturally inclined to be the "tank" of the party, since his stats are low in intelligence and high in brawn, though it is entirely up to you what kind of role he plays. He could be your wizard, if you should so choose, but being soul forged to a stroppy wizard with the IQ of a child might prove taxing early on. The point here though, is that it can be done, and with patience and a build up of experience in the field, done effectively. As the game progresses you will gain access to the Summoning Doll skill and this expands the party further. These summoned characters are open to a touch of the old stat-fiddling routine also, though not directly via the normal method - we'll say no more about these though. Needless to say, a party of 3 might sound ample, but those extra pairs of hands sure will come in handy. Initially control of the party can prove a little clunky, but it's not something that hurts too much.

 Beyond Divinity plays much like its predecessor. This is action RPG stuff, though I was quite taken aback at just how difficult the first of the four acts appeared to be, early on. Believe me, things do improve dramatically as the game progresses, but you might initially be forgiven for thinking you weren't cut out for all this monster-swarm-annihilation lark, so weak are your party members. Levelling progress is speedy though, and before you know it (with some judicious jabs of the quick reload button and some colourful language), you will have gained your first Battlefield key.

 Ah, the joys of the Battlefield. Basically this works by allowing you to warp to and from a randomised play area (that contains dungeons aplenty of its own to adventure in) at will. The numerous NPC traders will offer you quests and these typically involve fetching missing items and the like. But what this does, is allow you to gain masses of experience, gold and other useful things to take back with you. It works well and offers some respite which helps to maintain flow, should you hit the odd brick wall within the main quest.

   

 Sounds are not remarkable, save for the great voice acting, music is much better and can be really quite emotive stuff. Graphics, as I have said, are nothing to shout about and to be honest, the main characters animations are actually quite poor. But it all scoots about with silky speed and overall presentation is more than adequate for the job at hand. In all other respects, Beyond Divinity is excellent. You could wait for Divine Divinity 2: Diviner Divine Divinity (suggested working title) *guffaw*, but I see no reason why you shouldn't jump straight in now, because it could be a lengthy wait.