Fable: The Lost Chapters is undeniably charming. Technically, it's not the best role-playing game on the market but it is loaded so much personality that its problems melt away underneath a blanket of just plain fun.

This is basically the same game that was on the Xbox last year, only the Lost Chapter has been updated to work on the PC, and for the most part, the porting job is very good. You can tell that the PC wasn't its original platform, but it's certainly playable and the save game system (the bane of most console ports) works well enough that some of its console weirdness can be overlooked. The Lost Chapters also adds a lot of original content that wasn't available in the Xbox version; in fact the new content is literally a "lost chapter" that fits into the storyline perfectly. This new chapter adds new quests, new regions to explore, and other new tidbits such as armor, weapons, spells, and player accessories.

The new stuff isn't quite enough to warrant a purchase if you slugged through the Xbox game last year, but for PC fans that didn't get a chance to play it, the new content fits like a glove and doesn't feel tacked on. Even with the additional lost chapter, the game isn't terribly long if you just stick to the main quest missions. If you simply ignore the side stuff and concentrate on the main storyline quests you can run through the game in about eight to ten hours. Of course, where's the fun in that? The side quests are fun, provide good loot, and add several additional hours of gameplay, so if you fully explore and experience Fable: the Lost Chapters you're definitely going to get your money's worth.

Fable tells the story of a typical fantasy hero. The story begins with your soon to be hero as a young boy living in a small village. After a basic game tutorial, the village is burned to the ground, his father killed, his sister kidnapped, and his entire life turned upside down. You’re rescued by a strange mage from the "Heroes Guild", and end up being raised by the Guild members who train you in the arts of melee, ranged, and spellcasting combat abilities; you earn your stripes and eventually become a full fledged "hero."

Years later, after you "graduate", you are sent off to make your own destiny. The game's main quest is actually very well written and fun to follow as you discover clues to your past and the whereabouts of little sis. All of the quests, from the main story to the smaller side quests, are assigned via "Quest Cards." It sounds odd, but they are actually a part of the game and not just a gimmick; the NPCs even mention the Quest Cards by name. You always head back to the Guild for new tasks. You pick up a new Quest Card to see what adventures lay ahead. I guess that's just how a Heroes Guild works, eh?

It's also at the Guild where you can advance your character after earning experience points. You need to get back to the Guild (either by walking or by many of the teleport stations sprinkled throughout the landscape) and enter the leveling up zone; you can't advance your stats while in the field.

There are also no "classes" as in a traditional role-playing game. You can make the kind of character that you want to make. Want to assign experience points so that you have a moderately good fighting skill with some basic magic ability? No problem. How about a master bowman who also has a lot of defensive spell casting ability? Or a lumbering brute who is totally focused on strength and health? It's entirely up to you as to the kind of hero you want. It also goes a bit deeper than that.

Character customization is really the straw the stirs Fable's drink. The game presents you with several (and sometimes too obvious) moral decisions that impact the look of your character as well as his reputation. You literally have a choice of being good or evil based solely on your actions. The way the people of Fable react to you is a very important and fun part of the game. For example, you are never given a real name, you can't even choose one at the start, but you do earn (or buy) titles like "Assassin" and "Chicken Chaser." As a result, the townsfolk can be heard mentioning you by your title as you walk by. "He doesn't look like no Chicken Chaser to me," or, "Ohh, look, here comes Assassin!"

Further character customization comes in your chosen haircut (which can change several times throughout the game), a wide assortment of tattoos, and even in the armor you wear. If you wear a bizarre mix of armor people may even laugh at you. What kind of hero wears armor that clashes? All of this stuff has an impact on gameplay, and while not a huge deal, it is little things like this that go a long way in adding a level of charm that most games never achieve.

From an aesthetic point of view, Fable succeeds not because it has the best graphics around (it doesn't) but because it does a fantastic job of showing you the changes in your hero as the game plays out. The animations, and environments certainly look good enough, but it's your character that steals the show. Also worth noting is that the voice acting is for the most part superb. Nothing feels canned, but rather most of the lines (and there are a lot of voice-heavy cut scenes in the game) are delivered extremely well.