Neverwinter Knights
BioWare's new chess add-on takes mod total over 500
Neverwinter Nights was arguably the most eagerly anticipated PC role-playing game in living memory, and one of the main reasons behind this excitement was the game's modability. [Is that even a word? - Ed] With an easy-to-use toolset included on the CD along with the game itself, and a flexible (if not always entirely logical) scripting system for more advanced users to tinker with, the possibilities, we were promised, would be endless. Apparently that wasn't just blind optimism, because just a few weeks after the game hit the stores, its 500th add-on module has already been released. Ok, so most of those are "my first dungeon" material, but it's an impressive number for such a new game and bodes well for the future. Offerings range from basic deathmatch and capture the flag arenas to full-on role-playing quests, additional dungeons and campaign settings, and you can browse all 514 (at the time of writing) modules in the Neverwinter Vault. Amongst the recent releases that helped push the module total over the 500 barrier is BioWare's own Neverwinter Chess, which (as you might have guessed) is a fully functioning Battle Chess style game for two players. Simply walk on to the board, talk to the piece you want to move and then choose from the list of valid moves you're offered. If you fancy taking some time out from your hardcore dungeoneering for a nice quiet game of online chess, head over to BioWare's website. And if you're still undecided on whether or not to buy the game, fear not - our review will be posted tomorrow.