This week, I am simply amazed.

I started playing Runescape. I created an account at their website and logged in to a free server. Unlike many games, your character is linked to your email address, so you can log in to any server you have available to you.  There are a number fo free servers, and also some paid members only servers. On the free servers there is a limited amount of content; the number of quests and zones are smaller, as well as fewer items to wear, etc.

The whole game runs in a browser window, via a Java Applet. Now, I've got no love for Java as a web interface tool, but for the game it works halfway decently and is responsive. Unfortunately, the graphics are pretty weak. If you are paying for content, the graphics and sound still suck, so unless you found some friends you like to play with, I'm not sure why you'd stick around.  Also, you cannot resize the interface. The best way I found, was to resize my second monitor to a lower resolution and run the game over there. At least that way the screen and map were large enough to see and I could read the quest text.

Starting off in this game is also like many others. But let me give you a few tips. In many games you start in a newbie zone where you can do some basic quests, get a feel for the game controls and get your first few levels fairly easily. The same holds true here. As you wander the Tutorial Island you will be given a few tasks like chopping down wood, catching and cooking shrimp, mining and basic smithing. You get to keep all of the tools you are given. You can also level all of the skills you are started in up to level 3. Unfortunately, when you go to the main land they clean out your inventory and bank. So all those bronze bars I made and threw in the bank, just in case ore was hard to come by in the real world? Bye Bye. All the extra blades I made to sell were gone as well. A little frustrating, but would have been nice to know going in.

Another hint - when you are allowed into the pen to kill a rat in melee combat - stay there to get to level 3. Once you leave the trainer won't let you back in. The same trainer teaches you archery, but you can't keep any extra arrows you've banked either.

At this point, this is as far as I've gotten in-game. I've picked up a few quests, but haven't started working on them. I've also wandered around the map a little. It looks like you choose a profession by just levelling up those skills - which is a feature I like, but rarely seems to be implemented well.

So why am I amazed? That this ugly game with "click location to walk there" type movement is so popular! Especially with a younger crowd that sees better graphics on a leapfrog system! And - many even pay for it! 

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