More mail, more questions. Yeah, yeah, I said yesterday that this was it for the week, no more "Answering Reader Mail". So consider this an entirely new section. It's:

Answering More Reader Mail

Right-ho, here we go.

"What do you think of a TLJ MMORPG? Do you think you could make one? And do you think you would make one?"

It's possible to turn any fictional world into an MMOG, and there is certainly enough history, geography, and mythology in The Longest Journey's two separate worlds -- Stark and Arcadia -- to make for an interesting experience. It would be fun to make, but the time might be better spent creating a unique online world perfectly suited to the genre. TLJ was a very linear story-oriented adventure-game; an online world has to be open and flexible, and support extensive role-playing. April saved the world(s); in an online game, no one player can do that. But, sure, the setting could be used in an MMOG. Could I make one? Not alone. But Funcom could, certainly. Would we make one? If we had three years and $10 million to spare...why not? Do I think it'll happen? Nope. If there's ever a sequel to TLJ, it won't be massively multiplayer.

Then again, stranger things have happened. Never say never.

"I was wondering if you could recommend any books or games that would help to pass the time until TLJ2 is made."

Yikes. You'll need a mountain of books and games to pass that amount of time, but all right... If you're into fantasy literature, I can heartily recommend George R. R. Martin's new series, A Song of Ice and Fire. It's amazingly detailed, fantastically well-written and evocative, and it has a truly original plot that takes myriad twists and turns. I've read the first two books, but there are three out so far, and more to come, so that should last you a good while. Of course, if you haven't read Robert Jordan's epic Wheel of Time series yet, this would be the perfect time. The tenth (!) book is due to be released in the autumn of this year, I believe. Turning to sci-fi, Peter Hamilton has written two series of novels that are hard to beat: Night's Dawn (a trilogy), and the three Greg Mandel novels (Mindstar Rising, A Quantum Murder, and The Nano Flower). All brilliant. The Night's Dawn novels are simply stunning -- scary, grand, imaginative, and endlessly surprising. I can also recommend Tad Williams' Otherland series (four books in total); a healthy mix of sci-fi and fantasy, and particularly relevant to gamers as the books mostly take place inside what amounts to giant online worlds. They're really cool. Oh, and American Gods, by Neil Gaiman. Beautifully written, with a permeating sense of melancholy. Absolutely worth purchasing and reading on a gloomy and rainy Sunday afternoon.

Of course, if you're not into fantasy and sci-fi, it's a little more difficult to recommend anything in particular. But here are three possibilities: Are You Experienced, by William Sutcliffe -- a funny and smart story about travelling to India to "find yourself"; A Son of the Circus, by John Irving -- another novel about India, but this one a typically quirky Irving story, and a murder mystery to boot; and Girlfriend in a Coma, by Douglas Coupland.

And, oh, a really obvious one: If you haven't yet read The Lord of the Rings, shame on you. Now is the time to do so, before The Two Towers arrives in theaters. You've got, hmm, 8 months. Start reading.

As for games, it's a little harder, since there are so many different platforms, and so many different types of games. But if you enjoyed The Longest Journey, I'd recommend the following games: Shenmue and Shenmue II on the Dreamcast -- you should be able to pick up this combination quite inexpensively, and it's definitely worth it. The second game is set to appear on the X-Box later this year, but it's not necessary to invest in Microsoft's overpriced console to enjoy this one. Like I said, pick up a Dreamcast and those two games, and you're set for the next few weeks; Final Fantasy IX on the PS one -- I'm currently playing Final Fantasy X, but I don't think it's anywhere as good as the last one, and both the original PlayStation and the game can be found for a bargain price, so there are absolutely no excuses. As for the PC, I've been disappointed with the recent releases on that format -- consequently I play more console games these days -- but there are, of course, plenty of classic games out there to be played and replayed over and over again: Everything by LucasArts, naturally, as well as the classic Sierra On-Line adventures (particularly the first Gabriel Knight game, a definite inspiration for TLJ); most recently, I've enjoyed SimGolf, Medal of Honour, Return to Castle Wolfenstein, Civilization III (also known as "crack-cocaine"), The Sims -- all are definitely worth playing, though none of them are adventures. Adventure-players are out of luck on the PC, though they're making something of a comeback (in 3D, with action-elements, of course) on the consoles. If you simply must play an adventure-game, check out these titles on the PC -- you'll find them in budget-versions or in bargain-bins: Blade Runner, Black Dahlia, Broken Sword, Discworld (I-III), I Have No Mouth and I Must Scream, The Last Express, Outcast, Star Trek: The Next Generation: A Final Unity, Under a Killing Moon -- all worth getting if you can find them cheap.

I'm sure I'll think of more later, but that's it for now. Phew. Back to work.  ¶ 10:05