You would therefore find Guild Wars much nicer. It doesn't require a lot fo time doing what is known as grinding (repetative tasks) to level up as Guild Wars doesn't concentrate on character levels in the same way as all other online RPG's tend to. Instead all characters max out at level 20 and you all are then equally balanced and it comes down to your skill as a player and your ability to pick the correct skills to take along for each thing you are trying to do in the game.

Guild Wars plays more like a traditional single player RPG, but with the addition of in game communication and the ability to group together with up to 8 real players in the gaming world and on the special missions that progress the story.

The thing about Guild Wars and other similar online games is that just explaining them to someone does not get across their true nature. They can sound boring and not offering anything different over a single player offline RPG. It is hard to explain, but when you play these games online and manage to form gaming groups in the game with other players you start chatting with and getting along with something special happens. It makes the game a lot more than it's parts. As I said, it is hard to explain.

Another game that is different to most online RPGs is the Phantasy Star game, and Phantasy Star Universe has just been released. These games used a structure not disimilar to Mario games. You have a central hub and keep using the same areas of the game for different scenarios, just as you did in Mario 64 and Sunshine. And like Guild Wars you can group up with other real players to complete the missions and quests you are given to complete.

If you want to try out an online game I recommend Guild Wars. I think you can get a 14 day free trial to give it a go. If you are interested I will look into the free trial for you. And if you did want to give it a try Teho and myself are in the game already.