Once again you begin life as a child in a sort of pseudo tutorial level, complete with an opening splatter of bird poo. Like the original, this opening sequence is little more than a 'rough guide' to the controls and new features as well as a set up for the main story line. From there of course you reach adulthood and the real adventure begins.

The main story once again follows Albion's need for a hero to step forth from the shadows and stop the evil forces at work. Side quests help boost your renown as well as your bank balance, and of course providing you ample opportunity to discover the treasure chests full of goodies. Of course it does no harm having your faithful dog with you, who happily and frequently points out treasure chests and buried treasure. Some will love this, allowing you to unearth gems, weapons and a like with a minimum of fuss – others may not be so keen, preferring the old fashioned 'look for it yourself' approach.

Like the first outing, Lionhead have sought to add touches of 'real life' to proceedings. Get a haircut, or a tattoo, and you can still get married, only this time getting down can also result in you having your own offspring to cater for as well! Condoms are available should you require them, something which may be worth investing in should you wish to dispel with dating and courtship before sex and simple pay for it. This 'real life' twist doesn't end at families and itchy nads though, there are jobs to be done! Various towns and locations offer employment in trades such as as a woodcutter or a blacksmith, to help earn yourself some extra gold. Whilst the 'work' consists of a simple mini-game, how you spend the gold you have earned is down to you. There are, as always, a variety of market stalls, shops, travelling salesmen and merchants dotted around the land, pub games provide some light, if a little dull, relief for the gamblers out there. Homes and housing offer opportunities to both lose and make money – buy a home and then rent it out, or turn it into the marital residence should you so choose. Of course with a marital home comes the expectation of an 'allowance' from your spouse, or spouses if that's your bag – either way, money is, predictably, a big part of keeping them happy. You can also redecorate your properties by purchasing items from the relevant outlets. But why limit your real estate empire to just residential properties? You can buy businesses too! With so many properties and dwellings to choose from, it's always worth remembering that the location counts – a poor area means cheap housing, but little chance of getting your upper middle class partner to want to move in. Likewise that scruff little oik you wooed in the pub is unlikely to feel very comfortable in the posh part of town.

With so much digital 'living' it's easy to forget that there is also a little bit of digital destruction and dying to par take in as well. The usual run of bandits and beasts roam Albion still, and once again there is a variety of weapons to buy or find (or steal). Projectile weapons do not simple stop at the old bow and arrow any longer though – flint lock pistols and the like can be yours. Once again magic plays it's part as well, with fire balls, lightning bolts and time stopping spells all available to those with the required experience orbs.

Yep, the orbs return too – for every foe you slay you collect orbs and can upgrade your three 'attributes' – strength, skill and will. The upgrades system will be familiar to fans of the first game, whilst newbies will easily pick it up.

Fable II retains the cartoonish graphical setup of the original, though with a little more polish. The real change comes from the slightly more open map design. Whilst there is still a touch of the linear about the whole process, you can now jump over fences, and dive off cliffs – rather than trying to find a gate or a path down the hill. The sights and audio also retain a familiar, if slightly more refined, look and sound, with the town crier announcing the opening and closing of shops, sunsets and fading light obscuring distant objects, and Hobe snarls left tingling in your ears.

Ultimately, for everything that has been tweaked and changed in Fable II, it's a little bit of 'the more things change, the more they stay the same'. There is something still a little linear about it all, which perhaps stops it joining Oblivion or Fallout 3 as a truly open ended gaming experience, but that's not to say it detracts from the game in any great way. There is still a number of things to do, and many of the slight adjustments such as employment, children and buy-to-let properties add in a nice touch to the experience.

The real killer punch is the co-op mode though – allowing you to seamlessly drop in and out of the Fable world with your friends. Fight together, die together, steal together. This is where Fable II really steps it up and allows you freedom rarely seen in the gaming world. It really is as simple as Fable II, but with a friend. Play the entire thing together, or just drop in when you feel like it – if you feel really evil you can even kill their wife on the way out.

Like the first, single players will play this as much for the 'side shows' as the main quests. Fans of the first will almost certainly enjoy this second trip to Albion, and even the more casual gamer, or those looking for an open adventure game on a slightly smaller scale than the Bethesda power houses offer, will find themselves satisfied whiling away the hours in Fable II. Co-op is the real stand out here though, and lifts the game to another level in many ways. Peter Molyneux may not have quite nailed the lofty heights he aimed for (and talked at such length about), but they didn't come far away and Fable II would be a worthy addition to pretty much any games collection.