World of Warcraft: The Burning Crusade (PC)

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More proof that Blizzard is in a constant state of refining its game-making comes in Outland's quests and dungeons. There's more than enough for a quester to do in Outland. It's entirely possible to reach the level 70 cap and still have a zone or two to explore. Nearly everything feels better-tuned, from the drop rates on the quests to the way the tasks string together. Take, for example, the necessity of buying a mount. In the original game it's not uncommon to reach level 40 and be 30 or 40 gold short of the price for training and reins. In Outland there's less need for a loan from a rich friend. Quests and drops provide the frugal player nearly the perfect amount of cash for the price of the coveted flying mount. Dungeons have also been designed to be more user-friendly. Smart design, with more wings and alternate points of entry, make them easier to experience for folks who don't have the time (or desire) to spend four to six hours running a gauntlet of elite enemies.

The hardcore player scores several new challenges out of the box, with the 10-man Karazan raid and several Onyxia-style boss encounters for 25-man groups. New player-vs.-player content comes by way of arena battles, which pit groups of two, three and five players against each other in mortal combat. There is a whole slew of new honor rewards, as well as a new honor system and a talent tree of which players were given a sneak preview of in a patch leading up to launch of the new content. Of course, some folks will never be happy. There's a legion of forum dwellers who will always gripe about class inequity, PvP rules, queues and other nitpicky matters. Granted, lines are never fun, but the rest of these issues are part of an ebb and flow of stat adjustments that Blizzard executes with startling grace. Just look at the disastrous community response to the continual morphing of Star Wars Galaxies and you get a hint of just how bad things can get.

With World of Warcraft: The Burning Crusade Blizzard has pulled off a respectable coup. It has created an add-on that welcomes new players with two astounding new zones of newbie content. Simultaneously it provides a blowout of diversions for players who have been banging their heads against the level cap. Sure, some folks will quickly gobble up every tidbit Outland has to offer, but for the average player there's plenty to keep adventurers occupied. Even the most elite players will find more to do, with team PvP, daily quests and the 25-man raids constantly evolving and adjusting to their needs. If you already play World of Warcraft there's really no reason not to jump through the Dark Portal. If you've never played the game, World of Warcraft: The Burning Crusade is yet another compelling argument for signing up and jumping in.

The copy of this game (and all related fees) were purchased by the reviewer.