While I haven't been around since 'the beginning', I do count myself among the big kids. Through all of my attempts to write reviews like this, I always reach the same conclusion: Akanbar is a strange place.

On the surface, it appears rather simple - sometimes overly so. While it may lack the staggering population and insanely complex lore offered by other MUDs (those produced by Iron Realms Entertainment come to mind, specifically), there is a certain charm about Akanbar that defies explanation.

It could be that I've grown attached due to sheer familiarity, but I've never felt quite as at home with a MUD as I have with Akanbar. The countless opportunities for creativity and expression, while not always supported by mechanics or administrative contribution, allow the playerbase to keep things lively even in the most dead of times.

And when I say dead, I mean that things can get -very dead-. If you've never logged into your favorite MUD to see that you're the only visible player, Akanbar may not be for you. We have our slow times, we have our bustling times. Aside from this, however, I have little to complain about.

Whether you have the drive to be a valiant knight, talon-wielding bloodsucker, earthen mage, or even a simple tradesman who locks himself up to brew potions in solitude, you will find a proper outlet in Akanbar. Your role is never imposed by a multitude of precedents, nor is anything specific ever expected that you don't wish to convey personally.

The lore, while not as in-depth as I would prefer it, provides a solid foundation that allows you to create your character based on any principles or quirks that you find necessary. Not every Templar must praise the Light at every turn, nor must every Forsaken scream of bloodlust and torture.

I suppose I'm rambling a bit, rather than jumping out of my seat to beg you to give Akanbar a try. But if anything I did cover happens to float your proverbial boat, I am sincere in hoping that you will take a look. You may find it unimpressive, you may find it primitive.

But, you may also like it.