Group test: what's the best online game?

4. DC Universe Online

• Reviewed on: 24 February 11
• RRP: £39.99
• Rating:

A polished and highly entertaining addition to the MMO genre.

3. Dungeon Crawl Stone Soup

• Reviewed on: 4 July 11
• RRP: FREE
• Rating:

Dungeon Crawl Stone Soup is free and well-supported with an active community and constant development. In fact, the "Stone Soup" name derives from the many people who have added something to the mix. There's an extensive wiki that reveals many secrets of the game, but it's a lot more fun to stumble on them on your own. If you're a roguelike fan, you will like Dungeon Crawl Stone Soup. If' you've never played a roguelike, the well-done tutorials and hints make this the one to try.

2. Rift: Planes of Telara

• Reviewed on: 5 July 10
• RRP: Price TBC
• Rating:

Rift: Planes of Telara seems perfectly happy sticking with what works in established MMO combat, as developer Trion Worlds is looking to make strides elsewhere - namely in the game's unique class system and dynamic rift content. We enjoyed our time with Rift's inventive mechanics, interesting world and deep lore, and can easily see Rift: Planes of Telara carving its own corner out of the massively multiplayer market, assuming it finds its audience.

1. World of Warcraft: Cataclysm

• Reviewed on: 13 December 10
• RRP: £22 inc VAT
• Rating:

While I do have some criticisms of World of Warcraft: Cataclysm, there's more than enough to keep me happy, and I'm certainly already hard at it, blasting through levels and exploring the new areas of the game (perhaps a little faster than I expected to, only a few days after release). But then, to me, levelling up is always a means to an end anyway - I've always been far more interested in the end-game than levelling, and in that sense Cataclysm offers plenty of good stuff. Cool and interesting dungeons and raids are a-waiting, and I can't wait to get my teeth into the rated battlegrounds. So onwards we go. World of Warcraft: Cataclysm is another solid release, and one that will only get better. And while it might not be the best WoW expansion, what it has done is helped make World of Warcraft a much better experience for beginners, while providing more than enough to keep its hardcore fans happy. And I really can't complain too much about that.