The best browser-based game to date and one very good MMORPG. But like all MMORPG's, a total waste of time and money.
Second thing great: FREE to play (of course, playing free gets you half or less the opportunities of a pay-to-play member)
Third thing great: highly addictive, a lot of variety even for the free to play (a lot of nice quests, a lot of items and a lot of skills) which will no doubt provide a large amount of fun.
Other than the graphics, which are by the way great for a browser-based Java game, there is nothing you can say bad about RuneScape. Great graphics for a browser-based, free to play, immersive world, a lot of players worldwide, great gameplay, a lot of fun. On this side RuneScape gets 10/10 from me.
But RuneScape is a MMORPG... meaning a total lose of time. Like in any MMORPG you will eventually want to get the best out there, just to show-off to other players. That's a hard thing to do in RuneScape. In order to be the best you have to improve your skills, and the skills system won't help you. There's a maximum level of 99 for each skill (firemaking, woodcutting etc.) but to reach that level only for one skill involves a great amount of time spent. Also, there will always be some no-lifer which spends more time than you and you will never actually get to show-off. You will only lose your time.
Lose time, lose time... (every MMORPG imvolves time lost) But how about money? The free-to-play game mode is just a candy for those kids desiring for more. It only gives you the taste of the game and after you start to really like the game, it says: "Neeeh! You can't have more! But wait, you can! Only for X bucks a month!". My opinion: stupid idea to put money in such a thing. If you really have no life at all, and all you do is "eat" your parents money, eat chips and drink soda all day, while in front of your computer playing a game like RuneScape and thinking that if you are great at such a game then you are actually great at something (which is false, for the rest of the world you will still be a failure) then, go on, play it, enjoy it. It is for you!
But if you are only looking for some fun for about an hour a day in your free time then spare your money.
3/10 from me for this thing.
Great game to play for fun, but just wrong to get addicted because it leads to waste of time and money for nothing.
So 10/10 for the actual game, 3/10 because it is an MMORPG, not a storyline but more of a virtual world which "eats" your time and money. Let's do the average... we get 6.5/10.
And that's the rating I'll give to RuneScape: 6.5/10. A game you should try, but keep yourself far from tentation to pay or to lose your time. If you are an MMORPG fan, try it!