Graphically the game looks much better than Diablo II. To be fair, it is much younger as well. On my G4 700, the game occasionally suffered from lag but never, oddly enough in the middle of battle. The game has an odd quirk, it takes quite a while to quit. Even if one has previously saved, going from game to main menu to desktop can take as long as 5 minutes. It is a minor annoyance, and considering the game never once crashed for me, it was perfectly possible to bear. The game is rather short, a competent gamer with some RPG experience will find that the end comes rather quicker than one might have expected. It is possible to make a party of 8 that can handle anything the game throws at you with little or no bother. I found the combination of 3 melee fighters, 3 ranged characters (equipped with mini-gun, and grenade launchers), and 2 combat mages packed a pretty nasty punch. It was a great pleasure to see the hit points on an uber-baddie plummet quickly as we pummeled him from both near and far.

Overall, the game is a feast for the eyes, and battles are spectacular to watch. Both dungeons and outdoor settings are well done, although the swamp level was rather hard to maneuver around due to the fog and sameness of the terrain. This bit was by far the least enjoyable of the game, but no game is perfect. Sound is good as well. Cut-scenes, the few that there are, are attractive and run well.

The game is rather good fun and well worth the price of admission. It is possible to play the game multiplayer via Gameranger and other methods. It was rather difficult to play DS on Gameranger as there did not seem to be many games going at any one time. It is possible to import your hero from the solo game into multi-play, which is a nice touch. The gameís interface is excellent and intuitive. Unlike some RPGs like Neverwinter Nights, the interface does not take several hours to be able to master. Another nice feature is the fact that there is not massive loads times going between different areas in the game. Pathfinding is very good; your party does not wander off as it does in games such as Baldur's Gate II. There are handy orders buttons on the side where one can order the party to follow, move as one, attack independently, or only attack certain types of targets.

Dungeon Siege is a very welcome addition to the RPG selection for the Macintosh. It is easy to learn, fun to play, and has enough originality (like miniguns you can use) to make it worth the cost. If you are a PC gamer who has not tried this title, I highly recommend it. After the crushing disappointment of Another War, DS was a great treat. This is definitely the game to play if you are sick of Diablo II and are not up to playing the more intense RPGs like BGII or NWN.

Rating: 4.8