Two days. Two days I spent wandering through the dank, dingy Dustwallow Marsh on a quest to hunt an elusive, ancient crocodile. Deadmire was his name, a creature twice the size of normal crocodiles, sporting a unique jet white hide, something that should have been easy to spot in a place like this. Yet, it took me two days of extensive tracking, using all of my hunting skills to wade through dozens of raptors, giant cloaking spiders and strange mythical beasts that roam the marsh. When I finally found him, a battle promptly took place; I quickly cycled through all of my available abilities using everything I had at my disposal to make sure I was the victor and after a short engagement, Deadmire was defeated. I collected a tooth as proof of my small victory and that was that, my quest here was done, but there were still many more creatures to track and hunt elsewhere and more rewards to reap from their deaths.

Something strange has happened to me while playing World of Warcraft and it's something that hasn't happened often while playing a Massively Multiplayer online game; I'm actually having fun. It's strange, because I've always found the MMO games to be disappointing. Great initial impressions eventually give way to utter dismay as I spiral into an endless, repetitive skill grinding session, working away experience points in the hope that the end result will be worth it. WoW is quite considerably different, even though it doesn't do anything particularly new or innovative. Questing, dungeons and, yes, even grinding, it all exists here, but lacking though it may be in new ideas, it more than makes up for it with what it does with the old ones.

Let's take the opening few minutes as an example. It goes through the standard routines of any MMO game, as you create a character, choose a class and away you go. The learning curve here is practically non-existent; you'll always have a fair idea as to what you have to do and how you can do it. The interface is clear and concise, non-playable characters guide you through the early stages of questing and experience points gathering, while still leaving you enough room to prevent that feeling of being led by the hand. Small, helpful tool tips pop up from time to time, giving advice to those that need it but are easy to dismiss so as not to bother those that don't. Immediately you're dragged into Warcraft's massive virtual world, but never do your actions feel in any way pointless.

It's always evident what you should be doing and where you should be doing it, as the game uses a level system for it's character development, so keeping track of those all important abilities and quests is as pain free as it can be, with each area kept level specific, preventing you from accidentally wandering into places too difficult for you to explore. Not only does this mean that the level of challenges you face are always in line with your own skills, it also means you are always on a clear path, giving a sense of purpose without actually providing a goal to work to.

But before you can begin anything, you must first build a character. Admittedly WoW's character creation tools are a little sparse, as there are not an awful lot of selectable options to cycle though, but while the initial low level characters all tend to look the same, the amount of clothing, armour and weapons that can be gathered in game eventually lead to an avatar that does start to look a little more unique as time progresses. It gets the basics done though, with a choice of eight races to pick from, all familiar in some way from the Warcraft universe and each with an allegiance to either of the two sides that fight for control of the World of Azeroth - The Alliance (Humans, Night Elves, Dwarves and Gnomes) and The Horde (Orcs, Trolls, Tauren and Undead). Choosing one of these sides not only makes you an enemy of the opposing faction's towns, cities and NPC's, but also the players in it. Horde and Alliance players cannot communicate with each other in the game and though off-putting that may be to some, it's in keeping with the nature of the Warcraft universe and fosters a sense of bitter conflict within the game.

Choice of race alone doesn't just determine who you fight for though, as each race also comes packed with their own sets of bonuses and race abilities such as the Night Elves being able to cloak when stood still or the Undead's ability to cannibalise corpses to regain health. Small stuff really but the real trouble that comes from choosing a race is knowing which class you'll be able to play. Only Elves and Tauren can be Druids for example, while both factions even have classes specific only to them. You can only be a Paladin if you are on the Alliance, while only the Horde can go at it as a Shaman.

Of course, it's better to know the advantages of each class before deciding which would be best to choose. Warriors are inevitably the best melee fighters but don't come with the devastating spells of classes like the Mage, while Hunters have the ability to tame wild animals as extra damage dealing pets but aren't that strong in close combat. Naturally, each class has to have its downsides to keep things balanced and with other factors to take into consideration, such as the amount of abilities and spells differing in number for each class, it becomes necessary for you to learn and, on occasion, use your chosen class' weaknesses to your advantage. For example, being a damage dealer just isn't simply a case of walloping the first thing that comes into sight, it's about knowing how far your strengths will allow you to go and knowing how far you can push yourself.

The better you get at learning how to play your class, the more effective you can become at taking on tougher areas and gaining more beneficial rewards. But there are always those occasions where going it alone just won't cut it. Grouping does become a necessity at times. Spread throughout Warcraft's vast world are numerous 'elite' characters, creatures so powerful that often, despite sometimes being several levels lower than you, can still almost knock you to within an inch of your life. Co-operative play in such cases is the best way to go in order to prevent death, the downside being that the more people who group up (five in total) the less experience you gain. Yet, elite characters are often the source of massive financial rewards and the bearers of high end, not-easy-to-come-by loot drops, so are always the most desirable of targets.

But if it's cold hard cash you crave, there are easier, safer but not necessarily more fun options for you to line your pockets. Everyone has the ability to make a little bit of extra cash on top of what they may get from scavenging the corpses of fallen foes. Everyone is given the chance to learn several professions. Some such as Fishing, Cooking and First Aid are secondary professions and can be learnt by everyone, but you can only learn two primary professions, those of a Gathering nature, Mining, Skinning and Herbalism, and those of a Crafting one; Engineer, Blacksmith, Leatherworking, Tailor, Alchemy and Enchanting. It' often better to pick one of each, as some professions are more suited to specific classes.

Mining and Blacksmith, for example, go hand in hand with Warriors, who can use it to collect resources that can then be used in the construction of new weapons and armour that can equipped or alternatively, sold to other players. WoW's economy is thankfully a balanced one. You can never be too rich or too poor, with things such as new class abilities and mounts costing so much you are forced to think about how best to spend your money rather than buy the first thing that catches your eye. There is a lot of money to be made though and while choosing two gathering professions will prevent you from being effective at crafting anything useful, you will still be able to sell raw materials to those that need it - at an inflated price, of course. The Auction House, one located in both factions capital city, is a goldmine for those that know which items are the most desirable, allowing people to corner gaps in the market and make a fortune. It's not a foolproof system though as some items sell extremely well, while others don't sell at all, so it's not a place you'd want to spend most of your time at. Indeed, the world this game encompasses is so vast, huge and varied that sticking in one place will prevent you seeing some of the game's most rewarding features.

The lands of Azeroth will be familiar to those that have visited it in previous Warcraft games and there are countless nods to past characters, events and locations that'll keep fans of the series pleased to no end, while those who are new to the series needn't feel left out. There is a back-story to follow here; numerous books, quest descriptions and interactions with NPC's give details about events that have taken place and events that will unfold, but it's never forced on you. Such information is optional, it's there for anyone who wants to take part, while those who aren't interested can just ignore it and move on.

There's an awful lot to explore through Azeroth's two massive continents. Travelling these lands can take you from lush, vegetated jungles, through barren, dusky savannas and into vast desert wastelands, each unique in not only how it looks but also how it sounds and even feels. It can take days, weeks even to explore just one area fully, a hidden cave or just an out of the way house perched on top of a mountain. The chances are that when you think you've discovered everything, you'll find yourself accidentally stumbling onto an area you didn't think could possibly be there. The game also has it's own taxi system, the Alliance get to ride on Gryphons while the Horde mount Windriders or Bats. Using such methods to travel between towns and cities isn't just a convenient way to cut out a lot of walking, it's also a great way to sightsee, as you are flown over unexplored areas, spotting places you've never been before and even sighting those odd few secret places you may have missed while on the ground.

The graphics compliment WoW's huge and varied world and while being far from what is expected from the genre, the cartoony style the game uses works far better than those that aim purely for realism. While the out of proportion, bright and exaggerated style may take a bit of getting use to, there's no denying that such an approach actually does make a lot more sense than going for a more processor-busting, realistic look. It is a fantasy game after all and a realistic approach to a game that's about as unrealistic as can possibly be just wouldn't really fit. But WoW's looks shouldn't be underestimated; this is still a staggeringly beautiful game, crammed full with detail and avoiding the cutesy feel often associated with game that uses a cartoonish look.

Though exploration is all well and fun, it is necessary to know your surroundings, especially when on a quest. There are hundreds of quests here, making it hard to avoid taking part in one of them at some time or another. They form the backbone of the game, rewarding in not just huge amounts of experience points but also cash and sometimes even armour and weaponry. While at the simplest level, objectives can range from nothing more complex than "Collect certain amounts of animal parts," "kill this amount of troublesome locals," or just "I'm hungry get me some food," there has at least been an attempt to add variety. Quest descriptions go into huge detail about the reasons behind them, even giving you the history of the events that lead up to your involvement.

The variety does go further though, as some quests require different methods of approach. In most cases quests can be completed rather easily by soloing, a good way to gain the most experience points and loot rewards, but there are occasions where grouping becomes necessary. There are a multitude of Dungeons and Instance zones (areas that load up a separate location for each group so as to prevent several groups all congregating in the same place) to explore. These areas are so difficult that it's next to impossible to go in alone, so a group is always called for. It's within groups that the more challenging aspects of the game make themselves known, as it's here where your ability to use your skills plays an important part. A good priest for example, knows when to heal, when to resurrect fallen comrades and when to attack. A bad priest however, would wade in and attack straight away, getting himself killed and putting the other group members at risk, resulting in fewer invites to those high level instances and fewer chances to get hold of those more desirable loot drops.

But challenges alone do not simply come from tackling quests and travelling through dungeons. Player vs. player combat allows people to test their skills against real opposition. The most basic form of PvP comes from Duelling, a simple system that allows players on the same faction the chance to fight each other without the threat of being killed, a good training tool in testing out the strengths and weaknesses of each class while also picking up useful tips on how to better your own attack strategies. More serious PvP however comes in the form of cross faction fighting.

On PvP servers, everything has been catered for battles between Horde and Alliance players. Azeroth is split up into three types of lands; Horde, Alliance and contested. If you're an Alliance character in Alliance territory then you're safe, unless already active in PvP combat, as any Horde that wanders into your lands won't be able to attack you, likewise for Horde territory. Get into a contested area however and it's a free for all; there's no avoiding fighting here with one on one combat and huge scale raids commonplace. It can make things interesting though. Trying to quest in these areas, mere feet away from enemy held towns can be quite frightening, but also thrilling, that not knowing what's around the next corner or whether anyone from the other faction has spotted you. Yes it can be difficult at times, annoying in others but always different enough to provide new experiences.

Maybe that's why World of Warcraft is as enjoyable as it is - its ability to appeal to everyone. Quest, exploration, fighting, it's all here and it's all easily accessible, the game's simplicity means those who've never graced the world of MMO aren't pushed away by the complexities that are often associated with these types of games. It's easy to fall into WoW and get things done, five minutes in here doesn't feel like five minutes pointlessly adding a few more notches to an experience bar, it feels like you've accomplished something more, simply because you have more fun with what the game has to offer. Not revolutionary by any means, it doesn't do anything that hasn't already been done before, but World of Warcraft isn't about providing the genre with anything new, it's about taking all the old ideas and crafting them into something better. WoW has the depth and detail of a massively multiplayer online game, with the ease of a single player RPG, whose only downside is not being enough hours in a day to get the most out of it. It's hard to see how any other MMO will compete with what World of Warcraft has to offer for the next few years and an exciting prospect to play the game that eventually betters it.

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