By Joe Haskins

An MMORPG created & published by Jagex Ltd. Game engine written in Java Played completely within a web browser Most popular free MMORPG in the world according to Guinness.

For low detail mode: 500 MHz CPU 128 Mb of RAM For high detail mode: 1.5 GHz CPU 256 Mb of Ram GeForce 3 or equivalent

Free, feature limited version available Full version starts at $5.95/month Removes ads and enables fullscreen mode Includes new skills, new areas, better equipment, etc.

Set in a fantasy world with a variety of races to interact with. Players can choose to engage in combat or to focus on training skills. Depending on their skills, players can complete various quests that advance storylines or reward them with unique new items. A variety of skill and combat based mini games are available.

No overarching storyline and very little back-story. Most of the early history was lost during a massive war. Through various quests, players can glean bits of information about the past. Quests also advance storylines for various areas and characters.

Simple, relatively uncluttered Interface Icons in the bottom-right corner are used to access various menus and view skill levels. Important info (such as hitpoints remaining) is always displayed in the top-right corner near the mini map. Criticisms: Skill level display does not display all skills at once, requires scrolling to view the bottom row. Menu tooltips are displayed in upper left corner instead of near the mouse cursor.

All movement and actions are performed with the mouse. Arrow keys can be used to change perspective Death: When a player dies, he respawns in a specific location with only his 3 most valuable items. Players can purchase various gravestones which appear at the location of their death. Gravestones allow the player a certain amount of time (up to 5 minutes) to return and reclaim any lost items.

Melee fighters Can easily kill mages and archers if they are close enough. Metal plate armor protects them from arrows but amplifies damaging magical spells. Archers Capable of striking from a distance. Relatively ineffective against melee fighters, highly effective against mages. Armor offers a small amount of magic resistance.

Mages Armor can be easily penetrated by arrows or melee weapons. Able to use spells to hold others out of melee range (but not out of arrow range).

Combat level A measurement your fighting ability compared to other players or NPCs. Ranges from 3 to 138. Based on 8 stats that directly or indirectly affect combat. Total level Summation of the player’s level in every skill. Not visible to other players and has no real use.

3d models are relatively simple. Low detail mode uses simple textures. High detail mode has complex textures, shadows, transparency, dynamic lighting, etc.

Contains over 500 instrumental music tracks New music tracks are unlocked by visiting new areas or completing certain quests. Sound effects are reasonable quality, especially considering size limitations. Contains countess ambient sounds whose volume varies based on the player’s distance from their source.

Random events Creatures may appear and attack players when performing a certain action (ie chopping down a tree). NPCs may teleport a player to a different location to complete a task and keep them there until it’s done. Other NPCs may appear and ask you to talk to them, rewarding you if you do and teleporting you to random location if you don’t.

A comprehensive, searchable manual is available on the website. When not in fullscreen mode, a search box is displayed above the game applet. No known gameplay bugs exist at this time. Graphical bugs occasionally arise when new items are introduced, but are typically fixed in a timely manner.

Balanced gameplay Can be played from almost anywhere. Engaging storylines leave players eager for the next quest in a series to be released. New content every month for paying members.

Graphics are limited due to the browser-base nature of the game. Training certain skills can require hours of respective work. Some quest storylines have been neglected for years. One of the most popular quest chains, “Plague City”, was last updated in October, 2005.

Most modern MMORPGs, such as World of Warcraft, have far superior graphics. Subscription price is significantly cheaper that similar games. Can be played from nearly any computer with internet access. System requirements are significantly lower than similar games. Does not require permission to install software on the computer.

RuneScape is suitable for people of all ages. Inappropriate words are automatically filtered in chat. Players who use offensive language are subject to banning if caught. None known.

Can be played on nearly any computer with internet access. Free to play the basic version for as long as you want. Subscription price is relatively cheap.

Potential players may be discouraged by the quality of the graphics. Mouse based navigation may be strange for gamers accustomed to using the keyboard to move.

$5.95/month grants access to many more quests, skills, and areas to explore. Relatively pointless if you just started playing. Well worth it once you’ve played the free version for a while.

Allow navigation using the keyboard. Add new ways to train repetitive skills. Avoid neglecting popular storylines.