In 2007, Soldak Entertainment released Depths of Peril, an isometric action role-playing game with simple 3D graphics and a strong independent design sensibility. Kivi's Underworld followed the next year with a stronger hack-and-slash element, pre-generated characters, multi-player support and further tweaking of the formula. 2010 will bring the release of Din's Curse, Soldak's latest mouse-clicking frenzy.

Keeping the multiplayer support introduced in Kivi's Underworld, Din's Curse ditches the pre-generated characters of the previous title to introduce a new class system with over 140 possible combinations. Players can pick from classic templates such as Warrior or Priest, or they can combine two skill trees from any basic class to create a hybrid. Want to relive the glory days of Ultima Online with a platemail-wearing, polearm-wielding warrior-mage? How about rolling up a home-brewed necromantic archer? Din's Curse will let you do that.

The downside of the "hybrid" system is that players who choose to split skill trees will be restricted to two choices, whereas those sticking with a basic template like Thief or Ranger will get three. You might be able to create a pretty powerful hybrid on your own, but the six full classes will have an extra branch of skills from which to pick.

During my time with Din's Curse, the game was giving me a heavier Roguelike vibe than previous Soldak titles have. One of the other big ticket features introduced with this title is the randomly-generated world. The towns that you're trying to save and the dungeon levels that you must explore in order to do so are all random. It's a shame that there isn't more character to the individual towns, but at least the quests and layout change every time you begin a new game.

There's also Roguelike difficulty to Din's Curse, particularly once you advance in levels. Diablo fans will be pleased at the inclusion of a Hardcore mode in which character death is permanent, but Din's Curse can be plenty difficult even without the looming specter of perma-death. At a certain level, mobs begin to throw down some pretty serious damage, and you had better be prepared!

Despite the difficulty, Din's Curse has plenty to offer the casual loot-hound. Gameplay is simple, addictive and solid. Quests react dynamically to player behavior in a multitude of ways to keep you on your toes; there's no sitting around sorting through your inventory while Rome burns or clicking through extensive dialog just to get to the "Accept" button! The game also rewards your attention with simple twists on time-tested formulas that require you to actually read the quest text and pay attention to your surroundings. When an NPC asks you to hurry, you had better hop to the heroics!

Even heroes need allies, and I'm happy to say that Din's Curse is keeping the multi-player elements from its predecessor. Cooperative play remains a staple of the action-RPG genre, and it's great to see it included here. After all, what's the point of looting dungeons if you can't show your treasure to your pals?

Din's Curse is currently in beta with an imminent release. The game is well-polished and the last few bugs are being hammered out by a dedicated team of players and beta testers. Pre-ordering now nets you an invite into the beta, so head on over to Soldak's website and give Din's Curse a look. Surprises are a rare treat in gaming these days, and Din's Curse has them by the boatload.