VIDEO GAME REVIEW | 'TORCHLIGHT'

April 18, 2011 at 12:00a.m.

‘TORCHLIGHT’

Grade: A

Details: published by Microsoft for Xbox 360; $14.99; Teen

‘ALADDIN’S CURSE: DEMON WAR’

Grade: A

Details: published by Soldak Entertainment for PC and Mac (www.soldak.com download); $9.99 (requires Din’s Curse, $19.99)

The name “Torchlight” refers to the mining town at the entrance to a network of tunnels from which the mysterious magical ore Ember is dug.

Those tunnels are swarming with monsters and it’s up to the player to delve down into the depths (which are laid out differently for every play-through) and find the source of all the trouble.

The transition to console brings a few changes, mostly notably in the control and how many abilities can be set for quick use. Everything works fine, it’s just a bit different using a game pad and buttons vs. a mouse and keyboard.

Players can choose whether they want to be a melee-focused Destroyer, a range-oriented Vanquisher or a magic-wielding Alchemist.

Each class has three separate disciplines in which the player can spend skill points earned by fighting enemies and finishing quests. An Alchemist, for example, can be specialized for casting spells, summoning minions or improving up-close combat, or a combination of all three.

Each character also has a companion pet that can assist in battle, carry extra items or take them to the surface for sale, and even cast spells.

Where “Torchlight” keeps things simple with a straightforward quest and only three character types, “Din’s Curse” throws in variable after variable, and the new expansion, “Demon War,” just adds to the range of possibilities.

The base game features six classes — Warrior, Rogue, Priest, Ranger, Wizard and Conjurer — each with three skill trees. Players can choose a pure class or mix any two skill trees together for a hybrid class.

“Demon War” adds a seventh class, the Demon Hunter, and three new skill trees: Reaver, which combines vicious sword attacks with various offensive spells; Warden, which deals mostly in shields and defensive wards; and Demonology, where the powers of demons themselves are harnessed.

Aside from the new character class, the expansion adds more of everything: quests, items, environments, demonic monsters and so on — and unlike the single-player “Torchlight,” a group of players can tackle the dungeons of “Din’s Curse.” The player’s character is tasked with saving a town from a local dungeon — then another town, and another. Characters carry over their abilities and equipment each time, whether they succeed in saving the town or not.

—Justin Hoeger, Sacramento Bee