A good part of that is listening to player feedback and finding out just what people want. So, for example, Thief 2 will have far fewer "monster" encounters, and most of the time, the player will have to outwit human opponents. Missions like "Assassins" and "Lord Bafford's Manor" have proven to be the most popular, so they're great models for us to follow. We'd also like to de-emphasize the combat even more than the original game. You should conceivably be able to complete Thief 2 without having to kill a single enemy, if you so choose.

Actually, let me go out on a limb a little bit and say Thief 2 will be one of the most character-driven games you've ever played, with one of the most complex, intriguing storylines ever created for a computer game. I know everyone says that, but you'll see what I mean.

Suffice it to say the factions introduced in the first game, like the Hammerites and Keepers, will be further developed, and that Garrett will remain the consummate cynic, never sure who to trust.

Act II will have Garrett as the private investigator, living in the field, uncovering clues as he goes; and Act III will have Garrett as the James Bond-type agent, working from a "base" and setting out to accomplish specific missions.

We're also looking at some Art Deco architecture, so that parts of the game will have sort of a "Batman" feel.

How does the player travel from rooftop to rooftop to get to a certain destination? How does the player break into a bank? How does the player frame someone for a crime?

In Thief 2, we're trying to design each mission so that regardless of the difficulty level chosen, the player will still have to accomplish every task, though, obviously, someone playing at the "Expert" difficulty level will have the most challenging experience.

Most of your opponents will be human, and they'll have the same weapons and tactics as the enemies in the first game, meaning they'll shoot arrows, lob spells and run up and hack you with their swords. Of course, the robots are an entirely different story.

The first, a place you can call Sarah's Thief Site, is a small site that hosts a few item lists, enemy descriptions, a plot summary, and so on.

The second, hidden away inside a condominium, is The School Of Thievery , another small but growing site, that at the moment plans to hold hints & tips, as well as fanworks.

Kung Fu Gecko brings us this gem of a level, shattering many preconceived notions about the quality of user made levels. Running at a near par with many actual thief missions, The Library has something for almost everyone. Grab your little tCoSaS library card and check this level out, and we promise no fines for late returns...in fact, keep it.

- Full Review

'Coming of the Trickster' is a fan-made campaign set in the Thief Universe. With a totally new story set a year before the main game, and featuring Garrett as the main character, you have to sneak your way through 6 taxing missions. The campaign will include full mission briefings, and a conclusion cutscene, new music and sounds, and new textures.

This campaign is being constructed by the following members of the TEG forum: ZeR0 (Story + Missions), §hadow (Missions), Muzman (Music and Sound), Junk (Art) and Trimfect (Movies), plus a top secret team member (our secret weapon!), We still have some positions available, waiting to be filled. Help us make this campaign be as big and as high quality as possible!

There is also a public forum on The Maw of Chaos (http://thief.questgate.net) for you to contribute to the project.

If you feel you can contribute to the team, contact me. We require one more mission designer (please send a SMALL example to me) and extra help with the other things.

Tane "ZeR0" Piper
The Maw of Chaos - http://thief.questgate.net
ICQ: 25958771

All Aboard! is a truly unique Thief experience, With well done design, great use of sound. A definitely enjoyable trip to a seaside dock, and a great excuse to waste some bandwidth downloading it.

Meanwhile Lytha is recovering from her ordeal in Cragscleft.