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5.6

Mixed or average reviews- based on 661 Ratings

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  1. Feb 24, 2013
    4
    I loved the game's concept of developing your character as a monarch. But the combat system is not funny at all and is what prevents me to play this game twice just to see the other alternative ending.
  2. Oct 22, 2011
    4
    If this were the first game of the saga, sure it's good but as a player of all three fables there's just not enough evolution here. The gameplay is simplistic in every way interaction with npc's is still playing paty-cake with them. The game looks great in the same way that it's pre-desecors have I.e exactly the same as fable 1. Sound design is average at best.

    Am I being un-reasonable
    If this were the first game of the saga, sure it's good but as a player of all three fables there's just not enough evolution here. The gameplay is simplistic in every way interaction with npc's is still playing paty-cake with them. The game looks great in the same way that it's pre-desecors have I.e exactly the same as fable 1. Sound design is average at best.

    Am I being un-reasonable expecting more from the franchise by it's 3rd outing? save your money and get a real rpg, any of the fallouts or any of bethesda's games, dragon age these franchise's work hard to earn your loyalty whereas fable seems to delight in provideing the bare minimum and then charging you for more lack luster content through dlc.
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  3. Jun 6, 2011
    4
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Huge fan of the first Fable game, not-so-huge fan of the 2nd game. But I had to give Fable III a try. After about 15 hours of gameplay, I had some pc issues and had to reinstall my os. I tried my best to backup the savegames but the result was "corrupted savegame." This got me furious, I had to start all over again. So I did, and I played trough it. I did just about everything. Collected 50 gnomes. 50 Silver keys. /Spoiler sort of: I even managed to make all the good decisions AND save the entire people. Yet, the feeling I was left with in the end was disappointment and regret. Too many aspects of disappointment in a game I regret I ever played! The Fable series have pretty much been heading downhill since the 1st game, and this is no exception. I am not sure the game could be made any more noob-friendly, and that is NOT a good thing. Anti-aliasing setting is melted together with other effects, such as bloom. The inventory system is just weird: The sanctuary can hold all the weapons in the entire world, but it can't hold a pie and a celery at the same time. I can purchase warrior armor for as little as 12k and it offers no more protection than running around naked. It is impossible to get killed. The story and the characters are boring. Final boss and ending was disappointing. The graphics are cartoonish, and should've been better. Combat is no improvement. "Summon creatures" and "slow" time are potions.... Just to make the spellweaving system possible (which is hyped up bs.) Too many kill, retrieve or escort quests. Lip sync, no such thing. I never got the feeling this was connected to any of the earlier Fable games. I wanted to know what happened to the spire, and what Theresa did with it. And why did my character go trough a long and scary cave to get the first guild seal, when I can get one just by touching random people. I am not sure if it is an object or experience. Somehow the game kept me bewitched until I completed it. I can't deny the fact that it was entertaining. The humor is familiar. Some references to the previous games. (Chesty's games) But I think pretty much every negative thing that has been said or written about this game is true. Expand
  4. Jun 14, 2011
    4
    I wanted to like this game, I really did. Iâ
  5. Jun 15, 2011
    4
    VERY disappointed in this game... really anticipated it seeing that i played a counted 400 hours of the lost chapters.. Its combat is fun but a bit button mashy and repetitive after a while.. graphics are very nice if you have the system to play it... as for the bad parts of the game, it is VERY short game and lacks depth, *spoiler warning* where you become king you would have keptVERY disappointed in this game... really anticipated it seeing that i played a counted 400 hours of the lost chapters.. Its combat is fun but a bit button mashy and repetitive after a while.. graphics are very nice if you have the system to play it... as for the bad parts of the game, it is VERY short game and lacks depth, *spoiler warning* where you become king you would have kept promises before and you can choose to keep them by trying to make the kingdom better (VERY expensive but people will love you and you get good points) or you can choose to break them (this is the evil side people will hate you BUT you will have A LOT of money), i chose to play the good side of things and it turned out to saved the kingdom from an attack i had to make 6,500000 gold. Now that will add many hours to the game but very BORING hours. *end of spoiler warning*
    Coop is awful... its very hard to get a game where someone doesnt kick you out of theirs and if you do try and join a game you need the exact same dlcs as they do (sucks for me cause i have pre ordered free items) My recomendation: Buy the first fable (Fable: The Lost Chapters) and play that.. it has much more depth is much more enjoyable and an overall better game.
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  6. Dec 14, 2011
    4
    Very disappointing and just plain bad. The only two good things I can say about this game is that is has gorgeous graphics, and it has a few funny moments. Everything else is rubbish. You don't care about any of the characters whatsoever, the story is boring and cliche, combat is dull and repetitive, the gameplay is often atrocious and the decisions you make throughout the game are overlyVery disappointing and just plain bad. The only two good things I can say about this game is that is has gorgeous graphics, and it has a few funny moments. Everything else is rubbish. You don't care about any of the characters whatsoever, the story is boring and cliche, combat is dull and repetitive, the gameplay is often atrocious and the decisions you make throughout the game are overly simplistic and have little impact.

    Bad, short and overpriced.
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  7. Apr 14, 2017
    4
    Would have been a much better game if they didn't just port the damn thing, riddled with game breaking bugs. It could of been so much more. 150 motherf*cking characters.
  8. Oct 28, 2014
    4
    it has some interesting ideas and originalities but the childish theme of fable series has taken over the gameplay making it the most stupidly easy game i've played. also these original ideas -for example the inventory system- is poorly executed. and on top of everything there is microsoft's in game purchases thing......
  9. May 1, 2013
    4
    Overall a very lackluster game- I loved fable, liked fable 2 (loved aside from the ending really), and hated fable 3.

    There were very few gear/weapon choices, the magic was changed dramatically (in a bad way), the gameplay was insanely easy and monotonous, and the story was not very interesting.

    Not worth playing.
  10. Jul 10, 2013
    4
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. ok this is gonna sound like a massive contradiction...

    If you like the fable series youa re going to like this 3 rd game, buuuuut if you like the fable series you are gonna hate this 3rd game.

    Now let me explain.
    The good
    Story is fable-ish: Check
    Fable style humor:" Check
    Fable style animations that don't get dull even if the process of activating them is: Check
    combat is same action based combat as fable 2: Check

    The bad
    the game is long that's a no this is by far the briefest entry in the fable series (will explain later)
    does it include the massive options that past fable games did sort of but not quite
    do you get that fuzzy caring feeling about the npcs NO
    character options? some but it falls short waaaayy short

    Long version:

    The game has a nice story and it spices it up with the typical humor found in lionhead games like the preivous fable games and the black and white series. the combat is exactly like fable 2's which is a good thing. However it suffers from various glaring issues. first off the main story is extremely short. I mean "wow-did-I-just-finish-this-game?" kind of short. Fable 2 took me a month of about 4-6 hours a day game play to beat the main quest on. Fable 3, I finished its main quest in 4 days and that's counting a restart so I could go back and make more gold for being a good king. that brings me to point B. The game is brutally punishing to players that don't enterprise with real estate early in the game and decide they want to be good. if you don't have a lot of money going into being a king then you will have to be a total evil douche bag ruler to save as many civilans as possible. hence why I restarted my game and then played "monopoly" with the in game real estate a few days before going back to being king in my second play through.

    Now my third point of tension the time allotted to being king once you become king (or queen) the game blows by like a mild breeze on a hot summer day. they give you "365" days till the darkness invades the land yet if you make the mistake of "rushing through your kingly duties in a timely manner as your npc helper suggest you do, you find yourself in the final battle long before the actual days countdown has completed. I literally finished the second half of this game in a matter of 2 hours.

    now on to other less "revealing" complaints

    Clothing weapons and other cool gear ...

    there a bit here but after playing fable 2 the amount of options in fable 3 seem like a bad joke. Seriously lionhead??? it uses same engine as fable 2 why not just toss in the fable 2 cloths and weapons that alone would have made this ten times better.

    emotions /animations

    the emoting is HORRIBLY HORRIBLY Crippled compared to fable 2. in fable 2 you could easily select any emote you have unlocked on command you didn't even need to be talking to any one in particular not with fable 3 in fable 3 you have to press a (or enter) to "interact" with a very specific npc and you are given a shoddy auto selection for emotes for good bad and neutral reactions. these also seem to randomly change as you perform each one its just ridiculous that they went form fable 2's really nice emote system to this crippled slop.

    Now I own the console version of this game. but I doubt they fixed much on pc and the only reason I could see getting this on pc for is better performance if you have a high dollar machine. as it stands this game even slows down and pulls stutters on the xbox 360 despite the fact that the engine was tuned for the console and fable 2 ran fine on 360. I got my copy free as part of MS's games for gold promotion. but I stil don't see a reason to get this on pc if you already have it on xbox and don't get me wrong I avhe bought quite a few games on both pc and xbox versions when their pc counter part offers some worth while benefits. this game doesn't from what I've seen. Lion Head should have just released fable 2 for PC and saved themselves the bad reputation they got for putting this game out.

    I give it a 4 for story and the fact I did make it through the game wanting more at the end. but the problem is the "wants" just out weigh the "gots" with this game so 4 is all its getting from me
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  11. Sep 15, 2013
    4
    Hands down one of the Worst Games out there, I Loved the first Fable and the 2nd but this...but the 3rd installment, to me they have just made everything easier for the player but as a result have destroyed the Game Mechanics, here are just some of the problems, also I played and finished this on the 360:

    1/ Combat is broken, there is actually no need for the player to use Melee combat
    Hands down one of the Worst Games out there, I Loved the first Fable and the 2nd but this...but the 3rd installment, to me they have just made everything easier for the player but as a result have destroyed the Game Mechanics, here are just some of the problems, also I played and finished this on the 360:

    1/ Combat is broken, there is actually no need for the player to use Melee combat since the animation is way too slow and clunky.

    2/ Another is the absence of the expressions, I mean where is, 'Follow' and 'Wait'?!? Its much more useful then the 'Hand-Holding system', and Holding a Male NPC just feels kinda wrong, even for a King Of Albion...

    3/ Customization, Cosmetics, Costumes, Dyes and so forth are limited throughout the game, less freedom really made me sad in this game.

    4/ The in game Menu System, when I Hear about this, I thought it was a really cool idea and the map was really neat looking, but upon using the interface, its really time consuming, what I mean by that is, walking over, to items and checking and equipping it, takes too long even if there are 'Hot-Keys'...

    5/ Cutting out the Little things...what I mean, is the Bar games, the fact that buying things are limited and selling things are a pain, not to mention transferring items and gifts to other player

    There are heaps more reasons that this game falls short for a 3rd installment of the Fable series.
    The Visual are nice and I won't mention the Bugs and Glitches since they are present in all games.
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  12. Jan 9, 2014
    4
    Fable III, very very buggy game, okay plot, terrible graphics for a teenies (2010-present) game! It looks like it was made in 2005! The first two were fabolous. I would rate it 5.3/10 or 57%
  13. Aug 2, 2014
    4
    The game wasn't terrible, but it wasn't great either. Combat is repeatable and relatively boring. The story line is decent enough, but there wasn't anything unique enough about this game to really make eager to play it.
  14. Jun 28, 2023
    4
    if we look on this game in vacuum its even good, above average, but in comparison with fable 2 and especially 1 this one is s h i t, it is not fable, no atmosphere, no reference to the perfect 1st part
  15. Jan 26, 2022
    4
    What a let down after marvellous and magical Fable Lost Chapters. This game is simply basic. Add to it incredibly low difficulty and idiotic UI that teleports you to room just to change something or get present for someone.
  16. Mar 28, 2021
    4
    Average MMO-like experience. This game gives initially the promise of something bigger than it really is. In the end of the day it consists of zillions of repetitive actions that do not matter. Story is a mary sue stuff that does not really bring anything interesting artistically speaking; in the end Fable III is just an annoying chore.
  17. Feb 14, 2012
    3
    Fable III takes what made the original two games 'slightly interesting' and throws it all into a mainstream box. It throws in fart jokes, streamlines the already streamlined systems, and removes any vague remnants of depth that the series might have aspired towards. The game assumes that the general public are all braindead xbox-headset wearing 12 year olds. No. I take that back. Even theyFable III takes what made the original two games 'slightly interesting' and throws it all into a mainstream box. It throws in fart jokes, streamlines the already streamlined systems, and removes any vague remnants of depth that the series might have aspired towards. The game assumes that the general public are all braindead xbox-headset wearing 12 year olds. No. I take that back. Even they are a smarter, deeper audience than this game demands. Horrible, rancid game. Apparently the next game is going to be a connect on-rails shooter. Somehow that does not surprise me. Expand
  18. May 23, 2011
    3
    I was really anticipating this game's launch. I had heard the hype that it wouldn't feel like a console port. However, after playing for about 20 hours, it feels exactly like a console port. I still can't get over how poorly the UI is designed. Very simple tasks are made ridicously painful, things such as switching clothing requires walking into a seperate room. I guess I didn't realizeI was really anticipating this game's launch. I had heard the hype that it wouldn't feel like a console port. However, after playing for about 20 hours, it feels exactly like a console port. I still can't get over how poorly the UI is designed. Very simple tasks are made ridicously painful, things such as switching clothing requires walking into a seperate room. I guess I didn't realize how underappreciated simple PC controls were in other RPGs, but you would think mundane tasks would be made more fluid. Combat - I think this is where the game fails most.. combat is an utter joke. You can simply spam most attacks without any thought as to strategy. Even on the challenging difficulty, it was a cake walk. I really don't want extremely painful gameplay, but I would like a little bit of challenge to keep it interesting. The story line is ok.. it has its moments to where it becomes good, but then it sorta drops off flat again. Maybe the developers were to ambitious and just couldn't bring it all together.. I don't know, but the entire time, I felt like it was missing alot and the tasks were very repetitive. Some were a bit humours, but the novelty of kicking chickens wears off pretty quick. Overall, if you enjoy console rpgs, then you will most likely enjoy this game. If you are more of a pc gamer whom is used to traditional style rpgs, you will probably get bored quickly and find the game a bit shallow. Expand
  19. May 31, 2011
    3
    A depressingly bad game. Humor is pressed and the good/evil choices are simplistic in design while the game remains shorter than ever. The game is incredibly easy with absolutely no challenge for anyone over the age of 5.
  20. Jun 2, 2011
    3
    This game is overhyped garbage that was rushed to release and the game suffers from crippling bugs because of it. The game looks bad, the sound is forgettable, the combat is way to easy, the story is blah. *sigh*
    There is no real map...at all. You must rely on buggy golden pathways to get about. I've said enough, save yourself some money and don't buy this game. Play the Witcher 2 or
    This game is overhyped garbage that was rushed to release and the game suffers from crippling bugs because of it. The game looks bad, the sound is forgettable, the combat is way to easy, the story is blah. *sigh*
    There is no real map...at all. You must rely on buggy golden pathways to get about. I've said enough, save yourself some money and don't buy this game. Play the Witcher 2 or Dragon age 2 instead. =)
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  21. Jun 6, 2011
    3
    So many issues, where to start. The game is too easy. You cant die, you only lose some kind of progress toward your objective. The interactions with the ai inhabitants are limited, I.E very superficial and based on economics like having to all ways give something to make people happy. Its too easy to get gold in this game so it doesn't feel like you are accomplishing anything acceptSo many issues, where to start. The game is too easy. You cant die, you only lose some kind of progress toward your objective. The interactions with the ai inhabitants are limited, I.E very superficial and based on economics like having to all ways give something to make people happy. Its too easy to get gold in this game so it doesn't feel like you are accomplishing anything accept bordem. all the items in the game is like a girl you dont know giving you candy all the time, you dont have to work for it, and that for the most part is really insulting. It still feels like a console port even though they said it was changed for the pc. The list goes on and on and on not a very well designed game IMHO and a waste of money. Expand
  22. Jun 13, 2011
    3
    Repetitive relationship quests that compare to an MMO grind fest. Too many similar looking NPCs. Unbalanced combat system. Feels more like a platformer than an RPG. The humor is nice when you start, but gets old real quick.
  23. Jun 22, 2011
    3
    Terrible interface. If I wanted to play like that, I'd be using a console not a PC.

    Devs should really get their heads out of their asses. PC gamers are not the same as Console gamers.
    All the hype couldn't save a half a55ed interface and arcade like fighting.
  24. Apr 24, 2013
    3
    Meh... Just like all the other fable games. Boring story (This one is probably the best of the 3 boring stories the fable series has to offer). Button mashing combat with bad spell system. Silly good and evil system that does not compare to any of the other games that have done it, and a totally worthless economy structure. End up with more money than you could possibly ever need withMeh... Just like all the other fable games. Boring story (This one is probably the best of the 3 boring stories the fable series has to offer). Button mashing combat with bad spell system. Silly good and evil system that does not compare to any of the other games that have done it, and a totally worthless economy structure. End up with more money than you could possibly ever need with nothing to buy. Fable has always been over hyped, and just plain garbage. Expand
  25. Oct 30, 2012
    3
    Disapointing on every level - and I've still purchased it. Horrible interface (sanctuary...), constantly wasting time on absolutely common things, even more limited than Fable 2, boring combat, not many changes when it comes to enemies, weak story with abysmal ending, no epic moments like in Fable 1, music is uninspired and nothing like in Fable 1, and yeah, the art style is nice. That'sDisapointing on every level - and I've still purchased it. Horrible interface (sanctuary...), constantly wasting time on absolutely common things, even more limited than Fable 2, boring combat, not many changes when it comes to enemies, weak story with abysmal ending, no epic moments like in Fable 1, music is uninspired and nothing like in Fable 1, and yeah, the art style is nice. That's the only positive thing you can say about this game. I'm not going to do the same mistake again when Fable 4: The bad, the boring and the ugly comes out. Expand
  26. Jul 16, 2012
    3
    After Fable The Lost Chapters was ported to PC and vastly improved on the bog standard Fable; and after the second game vastly improved on Fable TLC there was a lot of expectation for this game to deliver. And a lot of Peter Molyneux's usual standard of over hyping everything to make it seem like it absolutely would and beyond.
    And the game starts of somewhat promising, at least storyline
    After Fable The Lost Chapters was ported to PC and vastly improved on the bog standard Fable; and after the second game vastly improved on Fable TLC there was a lot of expectation for this game to deliver. And a lot of Peter Molyneux's usual standard of over hyping everything to make it seem like it absolutely would and beyond.
    And the game starts of somewhat promising, at least storyline wise.

    It quickly becomes apparent that this game has failed in nearly every way.

    Gameplay? The ONLY improvement was the ability to combine magic spells. That's it. Everything else was worse than Fable 2.
    UI? Has been made almost completely inaccessible to you.
    And the levelling system is just outright bonkers.
    And the worst crime? Probably the fact that you have no health bar. So when you are close to death and need to use a potion you have no idea, the game itself warns you about a split second before you die that "hey your going to die!"

    But I persevered because the storyline seemed promising, and kind of interesting. I can forgive a lot if its got good story.
    But then you reach the part of the game that SHOULD have been the end game, within about 12 hours if you work hard at stretching it out; and then the storyline collapses completely into nonsense and irrelevance.

    And thus combined becomes unplayable and the lamest game ever.

    I seriously feel like I am being generous giving it a 3 out of 10 here, because honestly if you asked me to name anything I liked about Fable 3?
    The only thing I could tell you is the new combination magic. For me the game was worse than Fable 2 in every single way. And it getting a PC port, and not Fable 2, is mind boggling. Seriously.
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  27. Jul 16, 2012
    3
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. I love Fable. In fact - Im somewhat of a fangirl. With that - before I could play, I had to make some sort of Microsoft account. I had a ton of issues so I had to call support. After 2 hours on hold, someone helps me and I got the account thing set up.

    I start playing and it say's I have a illegal copy. I call support back with a shorter hold time (30 mins). Im kinda upset - he asked where I got it from, and trouble shoots me. After doing some technical stuff (I have no clue what he made me do) but it worked! Im happy now. I get to playing and after beating it. (It didnt take too long, maybe 2 - 3 days off and on), I was disappointed. It didn't feel like an RPG really. And please - do not get me started on the "collect 10 million gold" part....

    Anyways - the game was ok, but I want more! It's missing something, but I dont know what.
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  28. Sep 3, 2012
    3
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Fable 3 is nowhere near the potential from it's predecessor, Fable 2, and even more so for Fable 1. Everything that you would come to expect from an open world RPG can't be found on Fable 3, from a user-friendly map system, to a more broadening and interactive set piece for the world of Albion. I don't tend to like RPG's who use the corridor system, or as I like to call it, a "Spiderweb" RPG world, and it's especial with Fable 3. the bread crumb trail still iffs me at times, as i constantly ignore how it sends me to dead ends or just doesn't appear at all, whilst I desperately try to ignore the cursed thing and get a glimpse of the world that is ignored by this stupid trail brought all the way back from Fable 1. Customization is extremely poor and cash cowed in for an RPG, with 90% of content that would actually be useful for creating your avatar on a DLC, which also ruins the co-op play as you HAVE TO HAVE every single dlc that the person your playing with has, especially considering that the story wasn't webbed into a meaningful co-op setting. but perhaps the worst thing that Fable 3 destroyed about it's franchise is the whole good/evil alignment. Your outward appearance as being good or evil has been hyped down from previous titles, and the story itself betrays the whole meaning behind good or evil with how you end the game. You can be the good guy as long as you sacrifice all the money you spent protecting everyone from the darkness, thus potentially killing everyone in the end, while, if you're the bad guy, sure, everyone will hate you, but you'll have enough funds to potentially save everyone. and who isn't to say you could be bad from the start, and once the darkness is defeated (and note, the darkness is defeated in the most rushed in **** way possible) you could be good again? And the whole being a king business isn't really worth it in the end, you don't to go to parades, you don't feel appreciated by anyone whether being good or bad, and the only way you can beat the game is if you had played the game in a very specific manner, thus destroying the whole concept of a meaningful RPG element. RPG is supposed to be about doing what you can with what you have, not doing exactly this and exactly that to get exactly what you want. and one final note to the always over-enthusiastic Peter Molyneux: Do be optimistic, but please be honest with us. We don't want to spend a 5 days running a city to their dooms when we were told we'd be given a WHOLE YEAR to do so. and stop making this game a "less for more" concept. We've had enough of it as it is. Expand
  29. Sep 15, 2013
    3
    I was really excited about this game, but when it was released it got boring INCREDIBLY fast. The gamers were promised to feel powerfull while playing the game. All I felt was that the enemies were too weak. There's no real penalties for dying. The story sucks. This game must be the worst in the trilogy.
  30. Jun 6, 2013
    3
    Fable Lost Chapters was far better than this. Sure it has nice story and pretty fairy tale graphic, but its linear as hell and most of things that I liked in first Fable are torn out and replaced with console optimized BS: no inventory, no variety of weapons and spells (just light weapon, heavy weapon, gun and magic glove) no interacting with people like it was in LC, no rare items, onlyFable Lost Chapters was far better than this. Sure it has nice story and pretty fairy tale graphic, but its linear as hell and most of things that I liked in first Fable are torn out and replaced with console optimized BS: no inventory, no variety of weapons and spells (just light weapon, heavy weapon, gun and magic glove) no interacting with people like it was in LC, no rare items, only few side quests, terrible UI for consoles on PC port. Expand
Metascore
75

Generally favorable reviews - based on 39 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 23 out of 39
  2. Negative: 0 out of 39
  1. Pelit (Finland)
    Oct 19, 2011
    80
    An excellent interactive fairy tale. Due to interesting moral choices, it has a lot of replay potential. [June 2011]
  2. PC Format
    Jul 12, 2011
    74
    A competent example of a PC port and of an RPG, but its obsessions with consumerism dampens the adventure. [Aug 2011, p.100]
  3. PC PowerPlay
    Jul 10, 2011
    60
    A fun, light-hearted romp, but one that pales in light of its predecessors. [Aug 2011, p.68]