Sometimes the simpler a game is designed and presented the more fun it becomes. From European developer Ascaron, the hack and slash action RPG genre is something that they are trying once again to refine and improve upon. Today we look at Sacred 2: Fallen Angel, their latest attempt at perfection.

Hack-and-slash role-playing games have long been better fits on the PC than they have been on consoles. There have been exceptions to that rule of course, and now Sacred 2: Fallen Angel is making another appeal for genre fans to kick the mouse to the curb.

Solid action RPG game design; Lots of quests; Good variety of enemies and monsters; Gorgeous visuals and offbeat audio

World map is massive and convoluted; Poorly developed main plot

Most of Sacred 2's character is actually provided through visuals and sound. This is a real looker, with gorgeous sylvan scenes that include flower-strewn fields, dense forests, and babbling brooks, along with mountain and desert terrain reminiscent of postcards.

Solid; if mostly traditional game design; Wide range of quests; Good variety of enemies and monsters; Gorgeous visuals and offbeat audio

Bugs make the game unstable; World map is massive and convoluted; Poorly developed main plot

Released in 2004, the original Sacred game was a simple and cheerfully unabashed Diablo 2 clone that offered up some interesting ideas of its own as well as being very acessible to those new to the genre.

Genre: Role-Playing Publisher: CDV Developer: Ascaron Release Date: November 11, 2008 Diablo has cursed every other title following its formula by having the unfortunate privilege of being compared to its accomplishments.

seems to be suffering from an identity crisis. In attempting to combine in-depth role-playing with hack-and-slash action and odd, self-depreciating humour,

Sacred 2, the sequel to Sacred oddly enough. It's been a while in the making and features the band Blind Guardian. Is the game a worthy sequel or is it just the same old same old fantasy Tolkien-moulded RPG?

Sacred 2: Fallen Angel is an action RPG in the vein of such hits as Diablo and Titan Quest. Set in the twenty-two square mile world of Ancaria, you are given the choice of playing as one of six unique characters through either a Light or Shadows campaign.

Sacred 2 has a passable single-player mode, but it comes into its own online with the right company.

We sent our guy John Erikson to talk to the Sacred 2 team, one of the most awaited forthcoming games to hit both PC and Xbox 360 platforms. We would like to thank Hans Arno Wegner and Heiko Tom Felde for their time as well as many of the development team behind Sacred 2.