Parents' Guide to Hand of Fate 2

This represents a rare example of a fantasy role-playing game that pleases both ends of the spectrum, from skilled players to RPG newbies. Hand of Fate 2's fairytale-like presentation pulls you in right away, setting the scene and making character creation totally approachable. It starts by introducing dungeon-crawling through a tarot-like layout of cards that you reveal one by one and eases you into accessible deck-building. New players will rejoice that instead of an overwhelming rule set, they're given a series of fun encounter cards and asked simple, multiple-choice questions whose answers send the story on different trajectories. But experienced role-players need not worry. Hand of Fate 2 has all the usual RPG elements. They're just tucked inside a narrative wrapper that keeps the mechanics from eclipsing the fun. Scenarios/dungeons vary greatly and unlock in chunks, but don't have to be played in order. This is great if one proves too difficult. Even better, tough scenarios get easier as you earn new encounter cards, and replaying them with different decks makes for a totally different experience. If Hand of Fate 2 has a weak point, it's combat. Controls are clumsy, and character animations often seem slow to respond. Still, mediocre action isn't enough to derail the role-playing fun. The game's amazing presentation, interesting storytelling, cool graphics, and high adventure more than make up for it, and are sure to have role-players of all skill levels eating out of its hand.