Enter a brave new world of online gaming and virtual social interaction in Entropia Universe. Billed by developers at MindArk as "the next generation of interactive entertainment," this title strives not only to provide a state-of-the-art massively multiplayer adventure, but also all the tools and trappings to allow the development of a socially comprehensive, living community. Even those characters who never plan to raise a weapon or leave the safety of their virtual neighborhoods are welcomed to take up residence on the fantasy planet of Calypso, adding to the population, diversity, and development of the in-game society and culture.

Though Entropia Universe puts a heavy emphasis on the social aspects of the massively multiplayer, persistent world experience, characters that venture beyond the safety of the city walls will face dangerous mutants and rogue robots in familiar, battle-oriented adventure gaming. Player characters can earn game money by slaying these dangerous entities and clearing the wilderness for future city expansion. On the other hand, characters can also earn game money by becoming cautious craftspeople and providing services to other paying characters.

The most notable feature of Entropia Universe is the ability for players to convert real money into game money and back. By adding actual funds to an in-game account, users can convert their cold hard cash into game credits that their characters can use to purchase equipment and services. At the time of its release, players can obtain the game and join the online world free of any monetary charge. True to the overall theme of real-world interaction, developers raise the funds required to support Entropia Universe within the context of the game itself, by charging characters for certain services and auctioning off special equipment.

Editor's Note: Entropia Universe originally went public in 2003, under the title Project Entropia. In April 2006, MindArk officially changed the online game's title, in order to reflect the far-reaching community that the publisher believes the game has fostered. ~ T.J. Deci, All Game Guide