Xbox Gaming in South Africa

It wasn't all that long ago that we entered Ferelden to rid the lands of an archdemon and the hordes of Darkspawn that he had been unleashed upon the world. Our review of the Dragon Age: Origins slated it for its cookie cutter approach to a fantasy universe and if that's something that you had hoped would be fixed with Dragon Age: Origins - Awakening then you'll be disappointed. If on the other hand you found yourself lost in a deep world filled with interesting characters and quests that kept you coming back for more then you'll be in nirvana with the release of this massive expansion pack.

Awakening sees you taking up the story after the end of the first game and allows you to either import your character from the first game or create a character from scratch. Whichever option you choose you'll begin the game as the Commander of the Grey Wardens who arrives at Vigil's Keep only to discover that it has been overrun by Darkspawn who seem to have become organised and gained the ability to talk.

Being an expansion pack there is not much in terms of gameplay that has changed from the first game. It's still a mix of traditional RPG battle in the style of Baldur's Gate, with dialogue and character interaction from later Bioware games such as Mass Effect. Awakening introduces a raft of new enemies, spells, party members and skills to use though. In terms of new skill trees you'll gain access to runecrafting, vitality and clarity when you hit level 20. Mages will gain access to 56 new spells and talents which may also be found as part of several new specialisations for the mage, warrior and rogue classes, and on top of that, there are also over 500 new items to be found throughout Awakening.

The real meat of the expansion is found in the close to 25 hours of new quests and story as you try to rebuild the Grey Wardens in the face of a new evil. Best of all is the fact that the quests and dialogue are also of the high standard found in the first game. It's refreshing to play an expansion that adds such a large amount of new content and story, but then again you are paying top dollar with a recommended retail price of R449.99.

Joining your party is a host of new characters with only one of them being from the first game. And like the first game, each of them is as well rounded and fleshed out. I've already found myself laughing at Anders, the party's mage, and his affinity for a small kitten that you find in Vigil's Keep. It's these small touches that make it a wonderful experience to find out about the histories and stories behind the characters accompanying you on your quest. Bioware really do seem to have a knack for creating believable characters and making you feel some sort of empathy for them throughout the course of the game.

Many of the complaints for the first Dragon Age: Origins game are still applicable, with the graphics still looking somewhat drab and textures that look like they are in serious need of some TLC. The voice acting can also be somewhat of a hit and miss affair, with some characters sounding pitch perfect and believable, while others must have come from the School of Ham Acting. Neither of these complaints can detract from the addictive gameplay and involving quests though, so if you can look past them you'll find yourself losing hours to your travels and adventures in the lands of Amaranthine.

It was obvious from the start that Dragon Age: Origins was made to be an expandable franchise, and Awakening has shown that we can expect the highest of quality from these expansions. The huge amount of new material and the 25+ hours of gameplay make Dragon Age: Origins - Awakening an unmissable adventure for all Dragon Age fans.

Pros:

• Hundreds of new items, spells, talents, specialisations and quests!
• Wonderfully diverse quests.
• Well written dialogue and characters.

Cons:

• Graphics are still substandard at best.
• Some of the voice acting sounds amateurish.

Rating: