Here's a universal truth about expansion packs - you really can't judge them on their own. They are only as good as the games that they expand on. After that the criteria for judging them is pretty straightforward. So you have to assume the person that is checking out said expansion pack, in this case Dungeon Siege II: Broken World, found the original game to be a lot of fun and worth dusting off for some new content. Broken World certainly delivers what it promises on the box -- and for it's price -- serves up its fair share of new content improvements and fun to Gas Powered Games' role-playing game.

Before we get into what the expansion actually delivers, let's just gloss over what it promises: according to the box, Broken World offers 10 additional hours of gameplay in the game, offers a resolution to the game with a final act storyline played out in one new campaign, a laundry list of new weapons and armor (both mundane and of the magical variety), new pets and one new race, two new character classes and new reagent recipes for players to collect and use. Read on to learn whether or not Broken World delivers what it promises..

Dungeon Siege II Broken World begins approximately one year after the second cataclysm that nearly destroyed the fantasy world of Aranna. The world is pretty messed up and many of the once innocent and simple townsfolk that populated villages around the world have been twisted into grotesque creatures. If that's not enough of a problem it turns out that once dark mage managed to escape the final climactic battle at the end of Dungeon Siege II, and he is in the process of summoning the dark lord Zaramoth to finish the world off. Obviously, beings the mighty heroes of Aranna that you are, you won't allow this to happen. Thus begins your second journey into this fantasy world, as you gather your strength and head to yet another inevitable battle against the darkest forces in the world.

As you begin the game, you'll either be able to import your characters from your first run through Dungeon Siege II or create new ones. The advantage to this is the ability to use the new races that are included in the game and two new classes. The new race is the much loved Dwarves, who get bonus points towards Critical Strike, Survival and Chant of Stone, as well as a boost in stats like +3 in Strength and +1 Intelligence. As a starting race there is obviously and advantage to playing as these sawed off warriors but (as anyone that's played the game already knows) most race choices are irrelevant once you hit a certain level because stats tend to even out.

So onto the new classes - Broken World introduces two new classes into the mix, the Blood Assassin and the Fist of Stone. These two classes are a multi-class that have additional requirements above and beyond existing classes in Dungeon Siege II. For example, the Blood Assassin requires a certain level in both the Ranger and Combat Magic categories, while the Fist of Stone requires a certain level in Fighter and Nature Magic. Using these combinations, both classes offers some unique skills and magic that do some pretty groovy things. For example, the Blood Assassin gains the ability to cast a special spell called "mark" that occurs on any enemy he hits. "marked" enemies take damage over time, allowing you to impact multiple targets at once. The Fist of Stone also has special abilities, but the main thrust of this class is that it balances healing and defense buffs with a well rounded fighting character. The only real drawback to these new classes is that you have to split experience amongst three areas which can slow down character growth. This can be alleviated somewhat by using special skills that are already in Dungeon Siege II. The one new race and two new classes can also be used in the original game, so if you're thinking of running through the game again, they might prove to be a useful diversion in your second pass.

Broken World changes up a number of other elements in the game as well. Skills and powers have been rebalanced and the new level cap for skill ranks is now 30. This is good because it allows you to get some more quality time with the characters you've already created in the game. There are also now four autocast spell slots and two reserve spell slots. The total number of spell slots still tops out at ten just like in Dungeon Siege II but shuffles the numbers a bit to give players more room for there library of spells. Spells and powers have also been rebalanced within the new systems, so some of these special skills may feel and handle a bit differently than you are used to. Most of these tweaks to these systems will be welcomed, though so you won't need to worry too much about having to deal with serious changes.

There are a myriad of subtle and dramatic changes to the game that players may not notice right away. Some you can't miss like the addition of trainers (this special merchant allow players to reset their characters' skill points), three new henchmen (each requires you to complete a quest to get them to join) and two new pets. We don't want to spoil the Henchmen quests, so we're not going to give too many details here, but the new pets are certainly interesting enough to warrant some mention. Broken World gives players access to two new pets: the Kohl Beast and the Pack Ram. The Kohl Beast is great at carrying your junk and is far from defenseless. As the beast increases levels it offers a pretty strong melee attack and gains a couple of combat abilities that make it a solid choice for combat focused parties. The Kohl Beat retails for 5000 gold. The Pack Ram offers decent storage and the ability to take a beating without taking a dirt nap as quickly as a pack mule.

As you'd expect from an expansion there are lots of new monsters to deal with, new magics to cast, plenty or weapons and armor to find and some new recipes to use. The difficulty in Broken World is ramped up mainly due to new monsters with special abilities and resistances that are thrown at your party in large numbers. But there are plenty of new objects that you can find and collect that will help alleviate the hardships you'll encounter along the way.

In the end Dungeon Siege II: Broken World delivers what it promises - more content for Gas Powered Games' popular action RPG. There's enough new features, tweaks to the old systems and content to satisfy those folks still enamored with the world of Aranna. For those that have tired of the world of Dungeon Siege II, there's probably not enough content to bring you back into the fold, but for the rest Broken World is worth picking up.