Despite release date delays Anarchy Online will be the first from a batch of next generation MMORPGs. With an impressive 3D engine and highly configurable avatars including their weight and height, Anarchy Online leaves the usual dungeons and dragons setting far behind. Set far into the future (29,475 A.D. to be exact) the game will be centered around advanced technology and engineering. Set in Rubi-Ka, a distant planet colonised for its abundance of Notum - the empowering element of nanotechnology - all nanotech industry is under the strict control of one mega-corporation Omni-Tek. At the beginning of the game you must choose whether to become an employee of this conglomerate or rebel against authority and join one of the rebel clans in the fringes.

The most promising aspect of Anarchy Online is its broad and varied profession and skill bases. You can pursue careers in politics, engineering and the control of robot pets, medicine, hand-to-hand fighting, nanotechnology (basically AO's spell equivalent) or plain ol' weapons fighting. Of course the main aim in Anarchy Online is the development of your character, done through mission completion and combat, with each individual player making up part of the story line, forming a dynamic online community.

So, Anarchy Online with its futuristic take on the MMORPG, simple character creation and excellent mission system is looking very much like a good buy, but don't expect to have much free time - the bane of every MMORPG gamer. Anarchy Online is currently in the third stage of beta and there are plenty of fan sites out there with beta journals, previews and screenshots to keep you interested. Expect the full game sometime in the first half of this year.

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