Genre: Role-Playing
Publisher: Microsoft
Developer: Lionhead Game Studios
Release Date: January 21, 2008

Albion is a massive land, chock-full of secrets and hidden treasures in every nook and cranny. Indeed, an adventurer could easily get lost in the landscape for a very long time while hunting out every snarky gargoyle, stubborn Demon Door and silver key the kingdom has to offer. For those who have scaled every mountain, swam every river and searched every cave, Lionhead has bestowed upon us a gift: a new land called Knothole Island, with yet another challenge awaiting our brave hero. This new realm is a strange place, but it is just as wondrous as any other region of Albion.

Much like nearly everyone else in Fable 2, the citizens of Knothole Island are in big trouble and need the hero's help. Gordon the Submariner has been sent to Bowerstone to find the hero of legend, and once he does, he is to bring the individual back to the island straightaway in the hopes of setting things right. As it turns out, Knothole is a land beset by extreme weather, and when the hero first arrives, the entire landmass is buried under massive mounds of ice and snow. The mayor explains that once long ago, another hero used the weather totems to moderate the island's climate. Unfortunately, things are out of whack once more and thus the entire realm has been plunged into never-ending winter. The crops are withered and dead, the people are freezing, and the shop shelves are bare. Will you help them, brave hero?

The most amazing thing about Knothole is that the weather plays such a huge role in shaping the environment, so it's as if you've entered a brand new location every time a new weather totem is activated. For example, going from an icy island to a sun-baked one means that the land is now parched, and where there once stood rivers and lakes, there is nothing but dry land. The upside is our hero can now reach previously inaccessible lowlands and other areas that were buried in the wintry mix, but now some other areas are completely out of reach due to a lack of a snow bank or an ice bridge. The same goes for when the land is flooded, once more creating new paths while rendering old ones moot. The entire design of the island is utterly ingenious, and it's likely that many gamers will continue to fool around with the weather long after they've completed the island's quests.

Another reason to spend plenty of time poking around Knothole is due to the abundance of bonuses, secrets and exclusive content. Treasure chests and dig spots almost all contain items that are unique to the island, ranging from weapons and armor to potions that will make you taller or shorter, thinner or fatter. Above all other bonuses, though, is the resurrection shrine, a locale that will be critically important for those who have played through Fable 2's endgame and made a certain decision that permanently affects their hero. Without delving into spoiler territory, I'll just say that you can at last bring back a dearly departed companion, and the joy you'll feel at seeing that old friend again is likely enough to justify the DLC's $10 price tag right then and there.

While the rewards of exploration are enough to keep you poking around Knothole Island for quite some time, it's unfortunate that the quests themselves aren't all that intriguing or fun. The entire story line consists of the hero exploring a series of ramshackle temples, all of which look just like the interior of every other temple you've already seen in the main game. Once inside, there is some light combat mainly against Hobbes and Shadows, and a whole mess of flit switch puzzles. Perhaps the developers felt that there weren't enough of these trials in the main game, but whatever the reason, be prepared to bash, shoot and blast lots and lots of little floating orbs as you chase them all over the landscape. None of Knothole's puzzles are particularly difficult, and an average gamer can likely blow through the island's quests in roughly four hours if he doesn't get sidetracked with too much exploring.

Exacerbating the lack of excitement in the main mission is the fact that there are no sub-quests to tackle on Knothole at all. Perhaps the folks here just don't know who walks in their midst like all the other realms of Albion, but nobody else on the island seems to need the hero's help for any task. There are no lost family members, bandit camps or menacing Balverines to be hunted; everyone else is getting along just fine thanks, leaving the hero with little constructive work to do once the issue of the extreme weather has been sorted out. Yes, there is already a good deal of content in the Knothole Island expansion, but there likely could have been a bit more heaped on top without causing the chaps at Lionhead too much added stress.

The main reason for the lack of additional quests may be because ultimately, Knothole Island isn't all that large. Oh sure, the different weather unveils different parts of the land to explore, but at the end of the day, there just really isn't that much real estate. When compared to most of Fable 2's locales, Knothole is downright miniature, a dwarfed piece of land that is likely no larger than some of the mainland's cities. Of course, this is merely an expansion and by no means a sequel or massive upgrade to the existing game, so it's hard to fault the island for being too tiny. Still, it sometimes seems a bit cramped, and it would've been nice to have just a little more room for the hero to stretch his legs and go romping about.

Ultimately, the issue at hand is whether the Knothole Island expansion offers enough fun, excitement and rewards to justify popping the Fable 2 disk back in the tray and laying down $10 for the chance to see it. The new map may not be all that large, the enemies are simply copies of what we've already seen (you mean you couldn't put in any elemental baddies, Lionhead?) and the quests fairly repetitive, but there is still so much value packed into this little bundle that it's nearly impossible to pass up. Some of the new items and treasures in Knothole are simply must-own material, and the resurrection shrine is truly a thing of beauty for those still anguishing over the loss of a certain loved one. When you see Gordon on the Bowerstone docks jumping into his submarine, set a course for Knothole and hope the tub doesn't spring a leak on the way. This new content is well worth your cash, and how can a hero say no when there are people in distress? Besides, if you're nice to the locals, maybe they'll give you a snow cone, and wouldn't that just be lovely?

Score: 8.8/10