The graphics are excellent, even on my non-game-optimized desktop computer. Figure B shows a close-up shot of my character riding a horse.

FIGURE B


Atlantica's graphics are sharp and attractive. Roll over picture for a larger image.

I have the game's detail settings turned down to ensure speedy play but even so, it's beautifully done. What you can't see is that both the horse and character move as they breathe, and during a battle, characters shift slightly or bounce up and down as they await their turn. From time to time my character even reaches down to pat her horse's neck. It all adds a tremendous realism to the game.

The sound is well handled as well. There is background music whenever you're in a town, and it varies depending on the area of the world, ranging from an Asian feel in Phnom Penh to soft classical music in Bucharest. There's also battle music, which has a rock feel to it and is actually quite catchy. The non-player characters speak, repeating certain catchphrases, and monsters make a variety of sounds. One hideously realistic crunching sound is heard when I attack scorpions.

Quest for glory
As is typical for these games, you are guided through the world by a series of quests, which teach you how to use the various features and help you explore the vast world.

Atlantica is clearly designed to have a significant social component, and the quests incorporate that by requiring you to make a friend, join a guild, and learn how to use the chat system. I do find some of the quest tasks repetitive, though, such as several requests in a row to run back to town and buy things from the market, but this isn't a significant annoyance.

Should you not be in the mood for questing, or if your current quest involves killing a monster that's still too difficult for you (which has happened to me several times), you can wander around killing random monsters to improve your combat skills or you can work on your ability at one of over thirty different skill sets. My character is becoming an expert at crafting medicines, which I can then sell at the market for gold as well as use to heal my mercenaries.

Atlantica is typical in many ways, but it shines in the little details. If you're shopping at the market and are short of funds, for example, you don't have to leave the market window to withdraw money from your bank account.

As my Figure B (above) shows, the game has an option to turn off the user interface so that you can take a clearer screenshot if you choose, and when you do take a screenshot with your keyboard's "Print Screen" button the game automatically saves it for you and then reminds you of where it's saved. And the "auto-move" feature lets your character run to a location without your constant control, although you might accidentally start a battle with a monster if you run into it.

All your base are belong to us
The game was originally written in Korean, and some of the English translations read a little awkwardly. I haven't found anything to be impossible to interpret, though, and since my character is currently exploring the Asian countries it just adds a little flavor to the game.