Much like the original Fable, the good vs. evil mechanic is a binary affair with no real room for all the shades of grey caught between black and white. Sure you can play it like I did and mix up random slaughter with noble sacrifice, but the game won’t really know how to treat you, and some of the title’s ideas of evil are curious - if charging your tenants slightly above average rent makes you a corrupt individual then I will be having serious words with my letting agents come the weekend. That said, one area where the game has definitely improved is that you may find yourself genuinely torn at times, where you’ll find the evil option just a little too guilt inducing to do in good conscience or too lucrative to turn down. As a consequence of one such moment, my avatar, who previously had thought nothing wrong with slaughtering innocents, consorting with prostitutes of both genders behind his wife’s back and leaving the cap off my toothpaste (probably) went through an ’Amazing Grace’ style turnaround. I can’t think of any games that have made me do that before.

There are many other areas where the game has been subtly improved from the first too, and while most of these are purely cosmetic (the ability to catch STDs, for example seems to serve no purpose except to be another stat when other players come a-snooping) the introduction of the dog is a master stroke. While players are led around by a golden trail leading you to your next goal (you can turn this off in the options if you prefer to make discoveries yourself), your furry friend will often lead you off the beaten track, barking at treasure and helping you to discover secrets and bonuses you may never have uncovered on your own. It’s possible to become quite attached to your dog, but it’s also possible to completely ignore him, should you feel that a pet is just for the tutorial.

I mentioned earlier that you can be distracted by the mundanities of the world around you, and this deserves some expansion. Over the course of the game, you can interact with villagers in a limited way (using a series of gestures to represent different interactions), impressing or terrorizing them as you see fit. You can marry characters of either gender, start a family, have extra marital affairs, or get a job. The jobs are fairly limited in their interest, but provide a nice way of getting extra money if you’re a couple of dollars short of a shiny new weapon. These tasks involve timing a button press perfectly to build up a chain, which is hardly the most in depth mini game, but since when was work supposed to be fun?

A better way of earning money is playing the property markers. You can buy most of the buildings in Albion and either move in or rent them out. Redecorating them will increase their value and allow them to be rented out for more, and it’s quite possible to make a silly amount of money doing this. A nice feature is that you claim rent every five minutes – whether or not you’re playing the game over that time. The next time I switch on Fable, It’s likely I’ll be able to afford more property, and subsequently unlock new quest. How this will affect the game in the long term is hard to say, but it does help the feel of realism, and it’s nice to see the game trying once again to try new things.

I remember that the original Fable’s art style - a sort of Disneyfied realism - was offputting to many when compared to the likes of Oblivion or Diablo, and those who hated it will find the sequel equally repellent. Those who don’t mind will be enchanted by the sequel’s visuals - much like the first in art style, but with some dazzling views especially with the ingame sunsets as night falls. The draw distances are impressive (with a little pop-up), and the frame rate is generally solid (though struggles ever so slightly when lots is going on in the rain.) The sound is a mixed bag. While the music is soaring and atmospheric, the voices will sometimes grate - especially the woman who plays the hero of strength, without whose perpetual annoyance, my character would probably have been a lot less evil.