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'Fable III' offers high adventure and a captivating story.

'Fable III' offers high adventure and a captivating story. (Lionhead Studios)

It’s all about adventure.

“Fable” games have traditionally fallen into the role-playing category, but developers at Lionhead Studios have decided to emphasize the action and story and dial back on the more tedious RPG elements in creating “Fable III.” The results are very good.

The M-rated game returns to the land of Albion 50 years after the adventures of the hero in “Fable II.” You play as that hero’s son or daughter, and the younger sibling of a murderous tyrant. During the first half of the game, you must build an alliance capable of overthrowing your brother. During the second half, you sit on the throne, making tough decisions that could easily set you on the path to tyranny.

Those decisions play a huge role in determining the flow of the story and the outcome of the game, and go a long way toward making “Fable III” so compelling.

The game, which was developed by Lionhead for Microsoft Games, is set in a world that is moving into the industrial age — think 1700s with magic and mystical creatures. As a result, your hero is equipped to fight with melee weapons, firearms and magic. Finding the right combination of attacks is the key to success because different foes — ranging from brigands to goblinlike Hobs — have different weaknesses.

You can still purchase weapons and potions, chat with almost any character you meet, buy property, get married and even dye your hair. That’s all part of life in Albion. However, those elements have been de-emphasized somewhat in “Fable III” in order to give the action and story more prominence.

It was a lesson learned from “Fable II,” said Lionhead’s creative director, Pete Molyneux. Because of its incredible complexity, many players got buried so deep in “Fable II” that they failed to finish the game.

As a result, developers dropped the menus, lists, inventories and interaction wheels. Some were simply eliminated. The most important elements were reconfigured and placed in the Sanctuary — a mystical enclave where the hero can retreat to change clothing or weapons, or check a magical map that also acts as a teleporter. In each case, the player consults visual representations with the briefest of explanatory text. This definitely helps keep the game accessible and fast-paced.

However, one change did leave me a little bewildered. “Fable II” offered a rich selection of character interactions that were accessible through a wheel-like menu. This gave the player a good deal of control over exactly how the hero conversed with non-player characters. However, the new game generally offers only two options for each interaction and, more often than not, neither one is really ideal for the situation. When you’re a prince meeting a nobleman, it can be difficult to determine which is least appealing: dancing with him or belching in his face. This is a major gap for me. However, those who’d rather keep their encounters quick and deadly aren’t likely to miss much.

In any case, almost every activity other than fighting and greeting people needs to be unlocked before it can be performed. As you complete each major mission, you are placed on the “Road to Rule,” a mystical pathway that’s lined with chests that contain upgrades and access to different activities, such as the ability to purchase property or become a parent. Opening the chests requires spending points you’ve accumulated by making friends, killing enemies and completing quests. Of course, if you don’t want the hassle of squalling brats or demanding tenants, you can leave those chests locked.

The controls are incredibly easy to pick up. Combat is handled through one button per weapon. For example, the Y button fires a gun. Holding the button in a little longer generates a more powerful attack. Potions and other special actions are mapped to buttons on the D-pad on an as-needed basis. And that’s as complex as it gets.

The primary missions and quests are well constructed and play perfectly into the story line. The side quests add depth and color to Albion — as well as a bit of humor. My favorite involves a goofball named Brian who brings 50 obnoxious garden gnomes to life.

Humor is an important part of “Fable III.” It comes across as a mix of dry wit, irony and potty humor presented by actors John Cleese, Simon Pegg and Ben Kingsley.

The graphic style is very pleasing, offering settings and characters that are soft, colorful and slightly cartoony.

For those interesting in sharing the adventure, the game offers same-screen and online co-op — this time as full-fledged partners. Players can split the loot and even get married and have children together.

The game is rated M for violence and sexual themes. The blood-letting is plentiful, but is actually pretty low-key for an adventure game. Sex — though never presented on-screen — is readily available, too. Prostitution, gay marriage, polygamy and condoms — to prevent disease as well as pregnancy — can be part of the game if you seek them out.

Overall, “Fable III” still maintains many aspects of an RPG — such as character growth and progression, and gathering lots of loot. However, action and adventure certainly reign supreme in Albion.

Platforms: Xbox 360 (tested), PC

Online: http://lionhead.com/Fable/FableIII/

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