In 1999, a company known as Verant launched a game called EverQuest, and online gaming was changed forever. EverQuest was not the first MMORPG, nor does it have the largest subscriber base, but it blazed so many trails and established so many paradigms that it is viewed by many as the seminal MMORPG. Most every MMO player has, at one time or another, played EverQuest.

Verant, now known as Sony Online Entertainment or SOE, had (and still has) a bona fide hit with EverQuest. Five years after the first players entered the world of Norrath, the original EQ is going strong. Several expansions have been added and a number of players have multiple accounts so that they may play more than one character. Fan Faires are held so that players can congregate and swap tales of their electronic adventures. Many an hour of sleep has been lost by those trying to get that last bit of experience to make the next level. The game is so addictive that it has been dubbed "EverCrack."

Creating a phenomenon like EQ is both a blessing and a curse. The blessings are obvious, but the challenge comes in questions like, "What's next?" or "How exactly does a developer follow such a success?" SOE's answer is in the form of a sequel. Amid much hype and anticipation, this past November SOE released EverQuest II.

Norrath originally consisted of three continents. The first EQ expansion added the land of Kunark. Subsequent offerings added the frozen lands of Velious, the moon of Luclin, and other new worlds. The world of EQII is quite different than the expanded Norrath that many have come to know. Set years in the future of the first game, the moon of Luclin has exploded and rained devastation down upon the world. Continents have been torn apart or lost altogether. The only cities that have survived are Qeynos and Freeport. Qeynos is under the benevolent rule of Antonia Bayle and is the home for characters with a good alignment. Evil characters call Freeport home, where the evil overlord Lucan D'Lere reigns.

Some of the names are familiar to those who know EQ, but the map is completely different. The only real similarity is the position of Qeynos in the west and Freeport in the east. Antonica, formerly the main continent, is now a land east of Qeynos. The Commonlands are the hunting grounds immediately adjacent to Freeport. Other places share names with well-known EQ locales, such as Lavastorm, Everfrost, and Blackburrow, but for all intents and purposes, this is a new Norrath. Those expecting nothing but a warmed-over version of the original EverQuest will be pleasantly surprised.

          The cities are worlds to themselves. Each has a main city area made up of 3 or 4 zones, surrounded by a number of housing zones. The type of character a player chooses will determine his starting city zone. Initially, all players start aboard a ship headed for the Isle of Refuge. The activities on the ship are merely to get a player acquainted with the interface of EQII. In a nod to the fact that many players will have multiple characters, the shipboard part of a new character's initiation may be skipped.

Once upon the island, players choose their profession and run a series of missions and tasks to get a feel for the game. Advancement here is limited to level 6 and players must choose their alignment in order to proceed to the main world. Some races are forced to play a certain alignment, such as high elves, which are always good, or trolls, which are always evil. Humans are a race that has a choice. The character creation phase spells this out. Each player may choose race, sex and a number of appearance options. The allowed alignments are designated during the race selection. Character models are as good as those offered by any persistent world. Slider bars allow for great detail in tailoring one's facial features. There are a good number of hairstyles and feature options (such as piercing or tattoos) from which to choose. The races from the original EQ are all there, including those added through expansions, such as Ratonga or Iksar. The Froglok is in the game, but is a race which must be first unlocked.

Professions are handled differently than in EQ. Rather than start as a druid or a necromancer, a player chooses a general profession of mage, fighter, scout or priest. At level 10, the choice is made that will shape the player's true calling. Fighters, for example, may choose from the warrior, brawler or crusader disciplines. At level 20, these become further specialized based on alignment. A crusader will become a paladin or a shadowknight. A shaman will advance to a mystic or a defiler. Given this, all players are basically the same for a while, at least until level 10, where specialization takes place.

After the Isle of Refuge stage is completed, players find themselves in their new home. Each residential area has necessities such as a banker, an inn, several merchants, and at least two crafting guilds. All players start off with a room at the inn and a week's rent. Through a couple of quick quests, some furnishings are provided and the place starts to look like home. Even so, access to the larger city and the worlds beyond can not be obtained without gaining citizenship. A couple of quests give the player his citizenship ring and all the privileges thereto, including access to the city.