One could spend volumes outlining the length and breadth of the gameplay choices adventurers in World of Warcraft have available to them. We抣l try to keep this brief?

  Players begin by selecting a race from either the Horde or Alliance; from there they select their class and begin customizing their avatars. The Alliance races are of typical fantasy do-gooder stock: humans, night elves, dwarves and gnomes. The Horde races are the more monstrous of the bunch, Orcs, Trolls, Tauren (homo bovinus) and Undead. After character creation, players are treated to a lengthy introduction to their race, their mission in life, and the state of the union between the races and allegiances. They are then placed in the beginner抯 area where they will become acclimated to their new professions.

  The player classes are mostly straight from the RTS series, with a few interesting twists and combinations. Warriors are the men-at-arms in Azeroth - capable of using almost every kind of weapon, masters at heavy armor and enemy aggravation; they are the requisite "tank" class. Priests are the spiritual center of every team. Namely, they are the major healers and resurrection class in the game, but they are not alone. Paladins, while being able to wear heavy armor and use many weapons, can also heal and resurrect. Druids are the chosen ones of nature, having the ability to shape shift, cast healing and damage spells, along with limited resurrection abilities. Shamans are a hybrid class. Able to wear chain mail and cast recovery or destructive magic, they can also draw on the power of totems to aid or destroy.