Chris Taylor's Dungeon Siege

After Total Annihilation creator Chris Taylor's virtual seclusion of more than a year from the world of gaming, one had to wonder what new worlds he could be creating behind the veils of his new company, Gas Powered Games.

But at long last, Taylor has unveiled his next game, Dungeon Siege, after signing a publishing agreement with the other big Seattle, Wash., computing powerhouse - Microsoft. The title will be a slight departure from Taylor's days as the RTS guru, when he set the gaming world ablaze with Cavedog's Total Annihilation. Dungeon Siege is coined as an "action-fantasy-RPG," where players are thrown into a large 3D universe. As in other RPGs, the player begins his journey as a single character and then gains additional party members by traveling throughout the game world to stop an evil force. But Dungeon Siege differs from traditional RPGs by letting players manage large parties or just a single character.

While the storyline remains secretive, we should hear more details in the coming months. So far, Taylor and team have released several concept sketches that will give gamers an idea about what to expect when the game releases.

Based on Gas Powered's Siege engine, Dungeon Siege is expected for a holiday 2000 release.