With the all-conquering World Of Warcraft continuing its march to world domination, it can be easy to forget the older massively multiplayer online games that came before it, and although Dark Age of Camelot is practically ancient compared with the new kid on the block, it's still got enough fight in it to produce another expansion for the dedicated player base who valiantly stick by it.

That's right, Darkness Rising is an expansion for the veteran adventurers; newcomers will find no room at this inn, as much of what's included within the expansion is only available from level 35 upwards - but what a collection they've assembled. For those a little rusty in the ways of Camelot, the game pits Arthurian, Celtic and Norse mythology against one another in a traditional fantasy setting, each of whom get to guard and quest in their own specific realms of Albion, Hibernia and Midgard. Each side is encouraged to test their strength and might against one another in massive Realm battles, where each of the three sides fight it out for control of specific structures.

Time has been kind to Dark Age of Camelot; with three expansions already under its belt and a gargantuan amount of features added over the years, it's a game packed with content. Professions are as numerous as the critters that roam the game's vast countryside, everything from mages to fighters through to Necromancers, Banshees and Warlocks are available, but limited by race and realm. You can, for example, only be Paladin if you choose to join the realm of Albion and bad luck if you picked the race of Half Ogre, as they can't choose this profession.

With this strict method of class choice in place, there's a welcome lack of masses of samey looking players with similar abilities. One thing that hasn't changed much is the game's slightly unhelpful selection of quests. Blame it on spending hours with World of Warcraft's easy to understand and helpful system for levelling up, but in Dark Age, the act of questing is hampered by a bizarre system requiring you to type out instructions to the quest givers. It's more of an inconvenience than anything else, but an inconvenience that needn't exist.

Leave it to the player vs. player aspect to make up for this slight shortcoming then, as the massive realm vs. realm battles still make for some of the biggest and most enjoyable online battles around. Here each realm gets their own piece of land with numerous guard towers and keeps dotting the landscape. It's your job (or not, as you aren't forced into these battles) to defend against attacks from the other two realms, who try to capture these structures. Or you can be the aggressor and attack them right back. The more of these towers and buildings you control, the more bonuses you and your realm are awarded.

Alternatively, there's the option of being able to group up with a few friends and instead focus your attention towards one of the game's now numerous dungeons, in the valiant quest to take down some of the most unruly of the denizens and reap the rewards that come with such acts of unflinching heroism. Unless you die, in which case you'll get nothing.

Continuing from the graphical overhaul of the Catacombs expansion, Darkness Rising again adds to the graphical improvements, including massive revamps of the major cities. It all looks marvellous, the higher resolution and sharper textures keep this aged beast up to date with the more modern, graphically attuned games currently on the market, a thankful addition, as it's not one the developers had to put in. But Darkness scores more in the little additions it brings to the game.

Although it may seem old hat compared with what other games of the same ilk have produced, this expansion finally allows player to get their own mounts with which they will be allowed to roam freely, and this includes being able to chase down opponents in the massive Realm Vs. Realm skirmishes. No longer is there a better ability than the one allowing you to mercilessly cut down you ill-equipped enemies on the battlefield. For the sportier adventurer who likes to show off, there also comes the chance to customise your faithful four-legged companion, adorning it in armour and other trinkets.

The chest pounding macho types will probably feel more at home with the new campaign quests, a series of adventures that reward your skills as a warrior with some rare finds, including that of special Unicorn mounts and new weapons. These new quests are only available to the higher level players however, so don't expect the road to Realm Champion to be an easy task. Upon completing a certain amount of these new quests you'll gain prestige levels, but not until you've reached the level cap.

While the additions are welcome and give extra incentive to stay and claw your way to the top, to reap the rewards available, they aren't the kind of features that'd entice casual gamers into the mix; these are for the big boys, the people who can't quit until they've secured that last piece of super rare, difficult to acquire armour or weapon. Sub classing also gets added, another new ability for the newly appointed champions to spent their prestige points on. However, this doesn't quite mean that you'll be able to use the abilities of other classes beyond the basics, but it does add a nice new depth to the game and a decent enough reward for your hard work elsewhere, even though it pales in comparison to what else you can gain.

Newcomers feeling left out needn't feel let down by the attention given to Camelot veterans. Over the past years, the game has seen a massive amount of content added, improving many aspects and making its massive Realm Vs. Realm battles some of the most spectacular online Player Vs. Player action currently going in the world of the MMORPG. With the first two expansions already free to subscribers, there should be enough content available long before you feel the need to venture into Darkness Rising's territory.

For the older gamers who've stuck by Dark Age of Camelot, this expansion provides ample amounts of new features to stick around for. It's not quite a massive revival of the game and won't topple World of Warcraft from its impervious throne, but it does add a lot more content to a game bursting at the seams with things to do. With the release of Darkness Rising, There's never really been a better time to try Dark Age of Camelot.

Reviewed by Kieron Giacopazzi for AceGamez (All Rights Reserved).