Then they're lost forever when they discover that those rewards are random. "Will THIS click earn me that glorious +5 sword, or will it dumb yet another useless club?" one player asks. "Is this treasure chest going to finally give me enough cash to upgrade my armour?" asks another.

It's unfortunate because Diablo III is a darned fine game, and the more user-friendly PlayStation 3 version will hopefully restore some faith in the franchise by those more upset with Blizzard than the actual Diablo franchise. It gets rid of the always-online requirement for single player.... and in fact, multiplayer as well. Yep, local co-op is the real highlight of this package, and even though it gets busy with people running around the screen, a quality interface and marker system makes sure that no one loses their place in the heat of the action.

With the outdoor environments melding beautifully with the catacombs I was reminded strongly of a classic Dungeons & Dragons adventure; Expedition to Castle Ravenloft. That too was generic pulp fantasy, but because it was so unapologetic in its vision it's like those dodgy barbarian films from the 80's where the villain is invariably killed via a thrown sword through the chest; its pure, unapologetic, guilty entertainment.
Not that Diablo III will give you the time to sit back and think about the merits of the narrative and the atmosphere. From start to finish this game lays on the action thick, with hordes of enemies offering some devious tricks. See, where Diablo succeeds and lesser games fails is that Blizzard understands that quantity doesn't necessarily mean challenge. When you have different enemies, each packing their own unique strengths that often complement one another to conceal the weaknesses, charging at you at speed, then it doesn't matter that other games feature larger hordes; this game has interesting combinations, and that makes running into a new horde both a cause of apprehension and excitement.

That quibble aside, this is a masterful port of a masterful game. It might well not be the perfect top-down clickathon that the world was hoping for when it was finally released after years in development, but it's a fine entry with superb multiplayer credentials and deserves props for nailing one of the most addictive formulas out there.
- Matt S
Editor-in-Chief