Dungeons & Dragons is the great-grandpappy of all role-playing games. Armed with pencil, paper, books, some weird dice, a few plastic miniatures and a ton of imagination, players can go on fantasy adventures that make the Lord of the Rings look like a bedtime story. Playing D&D is like telling a story where each player gets to be one of the heroes and one person gets to be the Dungeon Master - the head storyteller who controls the bad guys and most of the story. Here's the scoop on the new 4th Edition Dungeons & Dragons with our review.

Heroes, Adventure and More!

4th Edition Dungeons & Dragons is a lot different from earlier versions. It's fast and easy to play, plus picking your heroes' powers is simple. Battles get crazy because everybody gets wicked moves they can use - from tossing fireballs to fancy swordplay! It feels a bit like playing a video game RPG, but you get to create your own stories and villains. Unfortunately, you need to do math and keep track of a bunch of details as you play. It's also a bit frustrating that only ranger heroes can adventure by themselves - everybody else needs a team of allies or they'll get clobbered.

Fourth Edition = Fun?

Designed to be easy for new players, 4th Edition D&D makes it easy to sit down with friends and family for a dose of action-packed fantasy adventure. There's more math and reading involved than playing a video game, but you'll be having fun with friends rather than staring at a tube. Check out the Keep on the Shadowfell adventure for a cheap and easy way to test-drive D&D 4e. If you like it, there are three books to look at:

• Player's Handbook - How to make heroes and gain levels. Every player needs one of these.
• Monster Manual - Packed with villains from goblins to zombies and dragons. You need one to run a game!
• Dungeon Master's Guide - Full of the little rules about how to make weird adventures. Useful, but you can play without one.

Thumbs Up:

• Players only need the Player's Handbook.
• You don't need to be an expert to make an awesome character!
• Keep on the Shadowfell = super-simple way to try the game out.
• You can play dragons as characters!
• D&D Miniatures let you bring the battles to life.

Thumbs Down:

• Dungeon Masters need three big books.
• It's like playing World of Warcraft, but doing all the math yourself.
• Heroes can't save the day on their own.

Rating:
Age: 8+
Price Range: (for each book)

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