By: EntropyInk

Life is full of choices, so why shouldn't your games be full of them too? The original Fable has sold more than 1.5 million copies and is highly acclaimed, earning numerous awards such as Game of the Year and RPG of the Year. Lionhead Studios returns this September with Fable: The Lost Chapters fully optimized for the Windows platform.

The Lost Chapters is the familiarly gorgeous adventure game complete with expanded content, greater customization, new quests and enhanced graphics. True to the original XBox release, every action determines a character's skills, appearance and morality. As with the original XBox release, your character's life story begins in childhood, doing good deeds in exchange for enough pocket money to buy a birthday present for your older sister. Such a beautiful day ends in darkness, as bandits attack your town leaving it in flames and you standing above your fathers' dead body. A stranger offers his hand, and so begins the rest of your life.

After training at the Hero's Guild, your legend grows and side quests emerge. Everything you do, say, (and sometimes wear) influences your soul toward the path of light, or an evil existence. With every choice, a character transforms into a reflection of his actions and decisions. Age leaves your character grey-haired and battle leaves manly scars in the world of Fable: The Lost Chapters. To fans of the XBox version, this is nothing new.

Fable is an action role-playing game. For most of the game, your quests will be from the Hero's Guild, advancing your character so you can rescue your family and take revenge on the bastards who attacked your childhood home. Of course, there is the main villian who is up to some globally threatening nefarious shenannigans, and so (for good or evil) you will want to stop him.

After being taken in by Maze at the Hero's Guild, you continue your training with your roomate Whisper in the three disciplines Strength, Skill, and Will. This provides a seamless introduction to the use of combat skills. Upon graduation, the world is your oyster and quests from the Guild as well as from villagers await you. You can make your character run around in his skivvies, with the Union Jack emblazoned accross his bum, go on a quest aquiring "magic mushrooms", or don your armor like a proper hero and kill things.

For the Lost Chapters, most of the controls are about what you might expect in an RPG. I was very happy with most of them, and I found the game easier to play on the PC than on the XBox. The WASD keys govern character movement. The mouse controls controls the camera, and allow you to attack, block, and make special "flourish" attacks, as well as controlling spells. One definate note of improvement, is that The Lost Chapters implements hotkeys, which does make it easier to take potions or eat produce and use your special tools (such as fishing pole and shovel). I found fishing to be just as enjoyable on this version, with a loud buzzing noise notifying you of the fish tugging the line intead of the XBox controller buzz.

You can still add boasting to your game, instead of just taking quests. Go ahead, boast that you'll complete the quest naked, or that you'll complete it without taking any damage. Let the world know what a cocky bastard you are! If you make good on your promise, it's a good way to make extra money and reknown from quests.

Within the game, you will also find gambling, fishing, treasure hunting, elusive silver keys that allow you to open special silver chests, and "demon doors" that ask you to complete some task (or solve a riddle) before they'll allow you to enter. As before, you can get married. Hell, I had two wives (in separate towns) and bought houses for them in which I hung my trophies and decorated with furniture in the latest fashion. Marriage not your style? Rent it out and earn lots of gold, you slum lord.

Fable: The Lost Chapters

So what extra goodies do we get in the PC version? There's a little more of everything -- more spells, monsters, pieces of equipment, mini-games, fishing spots, demon doors, and places to explore.

A good amount of the new content is scattered about Fable's original campaign like wonderful confetti. For example, when exploring the Darkwood, you'll now find the Darkwood Bordello area, complete with a new demon door. I found this to be a rather fun area, and proved to the local demon door that I was indeed a "bouncy mattress addict" and worthy of the pimp hat I was awarded. When you go there...give Pretty Polly my regards. She could use some lovin'.

Much fun was had with the new "chicken kicking" mini-game now available in Oakvale. Earn a high enough score, and you are rewarded with a gorgeous and figure flattering chicken hat. At the school in Bowerstone, you can now donate the books that you find to the further education of the children. The teacher there will then proceed to give a lesson or act out a play based on the books to his very young students. I found this to be a refreshing (and sometimes hilarious) way to learn the lore of a game, rather than read through all of the books you find.

The rest of the new content is found the Northern Wastes. I have been sworn to secrecy not to say more, or Microsoft ninjas will put mustard stains on my carpet and shave my dog. But, I can tell you that at the center of this icy wasteland lies a city of the dead where gamers will run into new beasts, and there is even talk of a dragon.

I am looking forward to playing the finished product that Lionhead Studios offers us next month, and you should too whether you have played it before or not. There are treasures here, from the optimized graphics, and the soundtrack by Danny Elfman to the added quest content and items.

Fable: The Lost Chapters simply got better with its' port to PC. My only complaint with this unfinished product, is that with all of the choices available (including making your character gay) why can't you play a female? WHY, Lionhead, WHY?