In the course of my online dialogues over the last few weeks I have been privy to the mention of 'Evercrack'. Not being fully versed in MMORPG speak, I decided not to make a fool of myself and ask what it was, instead favouring the covert option of using an unidentifiable handle in a few gaming forums. One or two of said message boards mocked the anonymous ignorance whilst many ignored my questions completely, (favouring to put their efforts into threads about how to slay giants with only a bucket and some frogs hair or something) but in the end I got two printable responses. Firstly, that Evercrack is a name referring to Everquest Online Adventures, cleverly comparing its addictiveness to that of crack cocaine and secondly, that Everquest is such a poor game that it is, in this witty pseudonym, being closely associated with another type of crack altogether. Two ends of the spectrum, but is Everquest a top crack or, if you'll pardon the lewdness, a bottom crack?

The first Massively Multiplayer Online Role Playing Game on the PS2 has the benefit of years and years of genre refinement on the PC as well as a huge popularity base. MMORPGs are the zenith of online gaming; with no limits on the number of players and cavernously deep gameplay they are a loner's dream, a place where a spotty nerd can become a god and forgo his earthly life for a virtual one. Friends can be made without the uneasiness of physical proximity and enemies challenged without fear of bodily harm. This genre definitely has its place in the gaming world but does it overlap onto consoles?

The main cause for concern with a PC-to-console port is a watering down of the gameplay. In all fairness this is an issue of technological grunt rather than a conscious effort to 'dumb down' a title and in this respect, Everquest follows tradition and whilst it feels by no means shoddy, you do feel a little like the poor relation compared to PC gamers. Essentially the gameplay revolves not so much around completing tasks but around furthering your character. Standard stats like agility, dexterity, wisdom, strength and stamina are issued to you at the beginning of your journey and as you slay beasts and complete quests, training points are issued. These training points can be used however you like, allowing you to create a highly customised virtual self. Most things within the world can be bought or, if you have the right ability and materials, made by yourself or a friendly tradesman. A new element, trade skills, has been thrown into the mix, allowing your character to develop various abilities such as fishing and jewellery making.

Life in the online world can be lived much the same as in real life. Instead of running out and slaughtering foes for cash, begging is just as much a viable option to start with. Most of the online suckers… erm sorry, gamers, are generous and forthcoming with both advice and cash. It's possible, although difficult and dull, to make a living as a merchant, buying and selling artefacts that others need. By far the most common profession is that of bug killer, as for the majority of the first five hours, you're taking on beetles and flies to further your career. This can be a bit of a downer at times, because the only way to increase your experience is to batter monsters, most of which could take you with one hand (or paw) tied behind their back.

Journeying across the land takes up a huge amount of play time and if you haven't got a few friendly adventurers with you, getting anywhere can be tough. It can take a good twenty minutes on auto run to get to some places and to be mauled by a giant badger within sight of a homely looking town can be a turnoffable irritation. These are all teething problems however and getting into the game properly requires a stout group of friends and a real desire to increase your character's stats.

Combat, despite featuring heavily in Everquest, is one of the most tiresome parts of the game. I was initially shocked at how basic the mechanics are, simply holding down the X button is about as complex as it gets. There are no combos or fancy attacking manoeuvres and spells can be awkward to select in the heat of battle. Most combat is melee based, although bows and crossbows can be bought pretty much anywhere. Even the ranged combat doesn't differ much from the hand-to-hand stuff and I really can't see anyone enjoying this title for the battling sections.

The learning curve is quite a nice one, with new abilities and skills cropping up often enough to keep you interested, but the main focus, quite rightly, seems to be on picking stuff up by yourself, either via chatting to others or just plain old footwork. To begin with, quests are difficult to find and challenging to the point of impossibility but past the initial sessions as long as there are people around to point you in the right direction, the world opens up and the game begins in earnest. And it can be an awful lot of fun, again the right people are needed to enhance the experience but with enough players around, you can't help but be wowed by the amount of stuff you can do. It's an incredibly open world, with no restrictions on trading or alliances. Even the dull cross-country runs are awe inspiring, simply because of the vastness of it all.

Everquest does have elements that simply don't work, the combat for one. I want to put a little skill into my battles and have the outcome decided not only on the level of the character but also the quality of my thumbmanship. Whilst I realise that the sheer size of the area necessitates a certain level of sparseness, the stark nature of the towns and villages doesn't really make the environments real enough for the level of immersion you might desire from a game of this type. The other major downside is the subscription charge, which once you have paid for the game, you have to pay in order to play for more than a month. This puts the value for money aspect right down and means that the average gamer should think very carefully about a purchase.

Despite the Spartan environments, the graphics complement the game nicely and are of sufficient quality to draw you in. Where things fall down a little, however, is with the animation, which is repetitive and dull. Paradoxically, although you can tailor your character's stats, race and type, making your virtual self look unique is quite a difficult thing to do, as the starting options are surprisingly limited. This all changes as you progress however, as altering armaments and wargear affects what you look like on screen. Something that has been overlooked is the sound, which, regardless of a few quality tunes, comes off as the weakest area of the game. The grunting and sword clashing is both out of place and irritating after long periods and some of the background noises are horrific, making you jump in all the wrong places.

Everquest Online Adventures is for the role-playing enthusiast only. The casual gamer will get little from the experience bar a dent in their wallet. In time, however, the Everquest world will open up as more players seek to try their hand at console MMORPGing. If you're not too sure about a purchase now, wait for a while, as unlike most titles, Everquest will become more and more desirable with age. As far as the term 'Evercrack' goes, I don't think either of the explanations given above is appropriate. Yes, some will find the realm of Norrath preferable to the real world and some will judge it in terms of GTA or Final Fantasy, but it's the only MMORPG around for the PS2 and not a bad entry onto the console market, so it's worth playing. Just don't buy it without having had a crack on a rental copy.

Reviewed by Tom Leclerc for AceGamez (All Rights Reserved).