Well, I'm extremely biased in this review because I fell in love with Aldebaran many, many years ago. I don't think there is a bad thing I can say about it except that due to a player shortage it can be lonely. Fortunately, I'm naturally a loner anyway so it doesn't stop me from playing. Like Rakshasa already said in his review, the written environments are quite rich and the exploration system with both the major and minor quests is a lot of fun, so I often spend most of my time in the game exploring. Having said that, the game IS richer with other players due to it's design; quests and exploring are often a lot more fun and interactive when journeying alongside another player.

Another aspect of Aldebaran I have loved from the beginning is its user-friendly design. It is an excellent mud for beginners who may not be familiar with mud environments; it was my first mud and I pretty much figured most of the basics out myself, both through it's intuitive, simple design, and the help files. I've played many other muds that, while there is no denying their richness of features, are perhaps so heavy with a million different features that it can be overwhelming and actually distract from the overall experience. For me, even after lengthy periods of absence from Aldebaran, the moment I step back into its world, I'm instantly at home.

So yes, I highly recommend this mud for those who are new to muds, and for anyone that appreciates a well-written, fun environment with lots of challenging areas to explore.

Aldebaran was my first and is still my favorite MUD. I have played on a variety of others but Alde has an essence that many others lack. The lands of Aldebaran are like a living story-book, full of evocative descriptions and adventure. The people are old friends now, which is the biggest difference I found from other MUDs. Alde's design encourages players to socialize and form a community; two of our players actually married IRL after meeting on Alde.

I have seen extremely well-written MUDs whose design actually discourages player interaction; they are fun but lonely. I have seen MUDs with elaborate room descriptions but no quests or dynmamic content; they are nice to look at but ultimately dull. Alde's community and quests give it a vibrant, living quality that I miss on other MUDs. I have played on it for two years as a player and then as a wizard, and there are still places and secrets I have yet to discover.

I invite you to begin discovering Aldebaran for yourself!