Passing through my local game store, I checked in for any last Dreamcast offers I could get my hands on. Fortunately I managed to get a copy of Grandia 2. With no personal knowledge of the game and only the blurb on the back to go by, I made a decision to buy it. I now know I made the right choice.

The game itself offers everything you would expect from the usual Japanese style. The annoying little kid, the short skirted and big-breasted girl, and the mouthy, arrogant, troubled youth. But there is much more than I expected.

The game is first based on two main characters, Ryudo and his bird, suitably called Skye. Ryudo is a Geohound. This is someone who is hired to do the work no one else wants to. It starts with a simple task, then it all goes wrong. Your walk down the road to the post office has turned into a hike across the world. On your journey other characters join your team.

The story is fantastic and at times a bit unpredictable and bizarre. The serious and helpful ways of Elana, the happy, light-hearted young boy, Roan, and the smelling beast man, Mareg all travel with Ryudo. Ryudo's constant negative opinion adds humour and the bluntness of the real world to all the given situations. Among all great stories, characters develop and change. This is used on each character to develop themselves and the story. This comes across very well.

With every scene change, and in different situations, the music adapts. This creates depth in many circumstances. Even if the same music is used, it helps boost and change the mood to fit the scene.

The lands are beautiful, yet simply done. A feeling of realism is kept by the designer's precise choice of colours. Everything in the lands looks very solid and smooth. The normal phase, in older Japanese games, of running around in vast areas of wasteland, and getting caught by an unexpected foe, has been abolished. This has been replaced with full 3D lands and more than one route, although restricted. You can see the enemy as they aimlessly run around in circles, and then when they spot you, chase you so they can try to take you down.

The fighting system is interesting in the way it is set out. No excruciating standing in line and taking turns to be hit and then to hit back. A more evolved system is used. Placed in various positions, with a timing system, the battle begins. The timer is used to state when you can attack. Your attack can be used to change or cancel when your foe will warrant its assault. To do so, correct timing and the right choice of the one to attack is needed. With this, a very tactical battle can commence. There is no set routine or order. You have to use skill and strategy to make it through.

You cannot accomplish the game without the extensive collection of attacks which come with each character. Many of these come with impressive cut scenes. Many moves can be learned and all of them must be mastered by earning experience points, special coins and magic coins. All earned by the winning of fights. The coins have to be spent correctly on your character for you to succeed. Other equipment can be added to increase each character's power. A comprehensive collection of weapons, tools, herbs and other items are scattered around the world and held by many enemies for you to collect.

This game at first seems similar to other RPGs, like Final Fantasy, but letting the development of the story take its route, the magic of every character is revealed, and the several different lands discovered along with the imaginative foes elevate the gameplay. This game is a must for RPG lovers, and a game which can be easily played and loved by all gamers.