The Realm Online

Sold Out Software
PC CD ROM
Out Now £4.99

System requirements
Windows 95/98/98SE/ME
Pentium 166 or better
32MB of RAM

Ever wanted to play an online RPG but have been put off by the thought of paying £30 for Ultima or Everquest? if so then The Realm Online may be just the game you've been waiting for. For just £4.99 you get the game and two months subscription (1 month subscription is approx. £3.50) which is a very good deal.

The game is your typical RPG. You create your character (you can have upto 8 continuous ones) pick his/her preferred attributes, select his/her desired apparel and then take them on a series of quests. The game has a comfortable old style adventure game feeling to it and the general interface of the game is nice and simple and completely friendly to those who have never played an RPG before. Character creation is very easy and you there are loads of possible looks that you can create. The info on the back of the game case reckons that over 6 billion possible looks are possible and while I obviously haven't tested this theory I can honestly say that I haven't seen two characters that are the same whilst playing the game. Your character can either be a male/female Elf, Human or Giant and your class can be an Adventurer, Wizard or Warrior.

If the thought of fighting puts you off you can avoid it all together. You can decide whether to fight other human opponents or not. This really is key option as some people will choose to play just for the social interaction alone. If you should decide to fight then the battles are carried out in a timed, turn-based fashion. The twenty seconds given to you to choose your method of attack is plentiful and you will find it very easy to get into.

Graphically the game is poor by today's standards (it's about the same standard of Monkey Island 2) but its pleasant on the eye and very modem friendly so lag shouldn't really be an issue. The graphics are as good as they need to be and Codemasters obviously accounted for the fact that many people don't have broadband connections.

With its point and click, classic adventure game style interface The Realm Online is a delight for deaf gamers. Everything is text based and clearly laid out too. The only thing you say against the game is that its a little slow paced and you need a credit card if you intend to play for more than the first two months. If you don't have a credit card you could look at it as £4.99 for a two month taster to see what online RPGs are all about. How many games do you usually buy that you're still playing after 2 months?

Click the thumbnails for the big picture.

Recommendation: Highly Recommended for anyone with an interest in online RPGs.
Suitability for deaf gamers: Completely Suitable.