Archlord - Review @ Play.tm

Codemasters' Archlord has been reviewed at Play.tm, resulting in the derisory score of 46%:

As you may well know, the structure behind MMORPGs is the idea that you start off as the lowest of the low, the wimpiest of the wimpy, the shi-, you get the gist, but with time and effort can develop into a being with unrivalled strength and ability. You achieve this by questing, battling, crafting, exploring and building alliances with other players. One of the biggest gripes over the years from fans of the genre is that grinding to level up is substituted as a cheap alternative to imaginative quests and exploration, something which ArchLord suffers from in abundance. Granted, you might expect it in the beginning of the game as a way to grasp the basics, but treadmill-esque, monotonous kill/collect/delivery tasks continue to haunt you for a painfully long period of time, at least until you're at a level high enough to earn the right to join guilds and take on the game's bosses.