Within the first few minutes of firing up Gladius in beginner mode, players are forced to sit through a cutscene between Ursula and her brother, Urlan. The overall plot immediately seems, in a word, dumb. It doesn't help that the actor who plays Ursula, supposedly a Nordic princess-warrior, sounds like she's asking her mom for a ride to the mall, instead of setting out on an epic quest. Uh-oh.

The training, too, is painful. Players are introduced to the first battles, where armed-to-the-teeth warriors fight ... to remain "king of the hill" or to destroy the most barrels first. At this point, many gamers would probably do what we did: check the strategy guide to see if Gladius gets better. Luckily, it does.

Gladius succeeds because of the basics of the battles. The fights are well designed and, after each, players receive just the right amount of money and items as a reward. As characters improve, their new skills are immensely gratifying, and the animation that accompanies each is often clever.

Just about any RPG fan will get hooked on Gladius. Nitpickers, like us, will find things to be annoyed by, like the fact that it's really hard to tell the difference between the "water" and "air" affinity icons when shopping for weapons. But overall, the character classes are inventive, unique and impressive. (We're partial to the Berserkers, especially in "rage" mode.)

In the opening stages, battles in Gladius are often right around five to 10 minutes long. When only a few points stand between you and buying a combo attack upgrade, it's easy to settle in for just one last round. Next time you look up, two hours will have passed.