Ahh, the good old days back in 1999 when we did indeed quest for what seemed like forever. Actually, that's not quite true. The original EverQuest (the most popular massively multiplayer RPG in the Western world) was pretty ironically named when you consider that it involved more monster-whacking than anything else. The quests were flimsily designed and rather thin on the ground until later patches and expansions corrected this.

EverQuest 2 doesn't make the same mistake. There's an absolute ton of quests from the start. Moreover, they provide substantial rewards in terms of items and experience points. So what else is new? The graphics have improved massively, the crafting system is now far more in-depth and the combat mechanics boast more strategic aspects. But most importantly, gnomes look much cooler! Their future is so bright, some of them are wearing shades (literally).

Visually, EverQuest 2 is a veritable treat for the eyes but a trauma for the ailing PC. With high graphics settings selected the game looks great in places and awesome in others, with majestic, sweeping landscapes and drool-worthy water and spell effects. Those of you with lesser machines won't be able to appreciate this though. You really need a fast processor and decent graphics card, with 1GB of system RAM to get the full effect of EverQuest 2's lavish world.

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Graphics aren't everything of course, so it's a good job the gameplay has been honed as well. Combat now features super damaging or buffing skills called heroic opportunities which are pulled off by players making a series of moves in sequence. Fighters have much more to think about this time round, with special abilities to allow them to become truly defensive tanks, keeping the "aggro" and the monster's attention while the fragile casters nuke away from the back. The whole fighting experience is better fleshed out.

The new player crafting system is intriguing and although we've only dipped into it thus far, our initial impressions are very positive. Resources must be harvested from the world using your pick or axe, then brought back into town to be crafted using a million and one recipes. The entire process is interactive, so for example you have to watch the forge as you hammer out a long sword, reacting to the metal cooling too much with the swift click of a button. The quicker your reactions and character skill, the better the end result.

EverQuest 2 makes a wealth of minor tweaks to the formula as well. The environment is more interactive, so you might come across a crumbling stone pillar which when clicked upon reveals an inscription that triggers a quest. We now have player housing, which you can decorate to your heart's content, player mounts and titles (such as "Orc Slayer" when you do away with thousands of the little tusked Tolkien tearaways).

Death isn't nearly as painful as in the original game, with less experience wiped away, plus you don't have to retrieve your corpse to get your equipment back. In fact, EverQuest 2 is much more beginner-friendly. The whole first six or seven levels of the game are played out on a tutorial island which teaches you the basics in highly commendable fashion.

There are plenty of positive aspects to talk about, but EverQuest 2 doesn't come without problems. Plenty of bugs abound, with annoying warping or disappearing monsters and general pathing problems being our particular bane. And then there's the whole issue of whether the game has become too dumbed down. With the likes of Dark Age of Camelot offering massive character customisation choices, EverQuest 2 looks a bit superficial with little character development in comparison. However, SOE (the developer Sony Online Entertainment) appears to realise this and it introduced a new line of custom ability upgrades with the latest patch, so hopefully movement will continue on this front.

Whilst solo play with good experience gain is now viable for all classes (as far as we're aware, at lower levels anyway), some quests require groups and it can be difficult or frustrating for the casual player to get these organised. However, some credit is due to SOE as more solo quests have been added in the latest large patch.

EverQuest 2's biggest problem is likely to be for those who "burnt out" on the original. It may be too similar in design terms for some to stomach. Us? We're impressed with the changes made so far and very much enjoying the game up to level 25.

EverQuest has been nicknamed "EverCrack" because of its highly addictive nature and EverQuest 2 continues in the same vein. It's still essentially EverQuest, but with a number of overhauled areas and a ton of cool tweaks. Just don't expect anything too revolutionary. And you'll need a powerful PC to see it running at its best.