Realms of Chaos can be a highly entertaining MUD for those that enjoy making friends or simply slaying monsters (and little girls, if you want). You start by creating a character which can be anything from a half-vampire to a giant or nymph, then go through some quick tips and facts of the game, get some gear from the charity room of the church and you're off. You can stay an adventurer and not become a true master of anything or join a class such as the Rogues, Rangers, Clerics or the evil Kataans who worship evil gods and control the dead.

Combat is my favorite thing about this MUD. Unlike other games, you're not stuck stabbing a rat until you've gained eight levels. You can stab almost anything you can think of in the newbie forest! The number of animals and people you can try your hand at as a newbie is just overwhelming. I haven't moved out of the newbie forest yet but I look forward to meeting and slaughtering new things. The makers put a lot of thought into combat and it shows.

ROC does have a variety of quests for both low and high level players but quests aren't really my thing and I couldn't get into it.

There's only about 10 players online during the day but these guys are very tight-knit and extremely helpful to new comers. If you can't find what you're looking for in their extensive helpfiles, use the newbie channel and a couple of helpful souls are sure to help out.

In this game however, roleplaying just isn't done. The closest thing I came to roleplay was when an admin sent an old man to tell me the game was shutting down by babbling about the world coming to an end. It says roleplay is accepted, but I'm pretty sure people would just look at me funny if I attempted it. The atmosphere is still mature and I haven't spotted any netspeak since I began playing.

In my opinion, the only major drawback is that your equipment isn't saved when you log off. Your money is saved whether or not you bank it, but all your things are lost upon your return unless you store them in a locker, in which case they're safe until the game is reset. I've never played a game where my equipment wasn't saved when I logged out so I was baffled at first but I've quickly adapted and it's not such a pain anymore.

This MUD is doing fine without a huge playerbase but everyone could use more friends, so come join us if you're looking for something different!