Titan Quest: Immortal Throne

Loot Makes Everything worthwhile. Dying 17 times against a boss would usually result in my mouse going through my monitor, but it's quickly forgotten when I finally see the drop when I win. Weeks of grinding finally pay off, but there's little rest as my helm is looking starting to look shabby.

Genre enthusiasts may draw comparison with a certain game by Blizzard, but Titan Quest does a cracking job at mimicking its obvious inspiration. Rich in lore and teeming with items, Titan Quest holds your hand as it guides you lovingly through the ancient world. Greece, Egypt. China and Hades are all full of the heroes and heroines you would expect.

Iron Lore have successfully transferred the ancient world to digital form, both narratively and visually. A particular highlight comes when you're asked to fight your way through the Pyramids of Giza - a setting that's oddly untouched by games.

Never-ending with limitless character opportunities, Titan Quest is the perfect fix those awaiting Diablo III. If that wasn't enough, the six-player co-op makes my loot-fetish go into overdrive. The screen is filled with yellows, blues and purples: it's like a fireworks display made up of magical gear - a sensory overload. Anyway, enough chat as I'm all out of health potions and there are mobs that need killing.

Being Dead Can't be much fun. Sure, you might not have to worry about the daily commute or taxes any more, but when Charon, the ferryman of the dead has decided to take a day off and therefore doomed you to wander the misty banks of the River Styx for all eternity, then you might start to see the bad side.

Immortal Throne's storyline is based around the underworld and manages to cram in even more Greek mythology than before. The normally bright and sunny settings have been replaced with the spooky realms of the recently deceased, and Iron Lore's high production values are evident throughout, with some excellent graphical effects and some inspired design in the underworld.

There are plenty of great nonliving monsters to battle with too, such as Keres (Greek female death spirits), unhappy ghosts and threeheaded mutt Cerberus. It would have been nice to see all mythology-based monsters here though - I'm sure the Greeks didn't believe in frogmen...

There's also a smattering of new features, such as caravans so you can transfer items between characters, scrolls, and the new dream mastery, a good all-round skill featuring pets, buffs and offensive spells. Expect Immortal Throne to add around ten hours of play, but despite the occasionally tough boss, don't expect it to be too taxing. If you've finished the original and want to keep that mouse finger in shape, this expansion is worth a trip to the land of the dead for.