We've encountered our fair share of lackluster expansion packs. Thankfully, Blizzard Entertainment stands tall as a developer committed to quality and value in its follow-up releases. Tonight on "X-Play" we find that "Warcraft III: The Frozen Throne" continues that honored tradition.

Mad, bad, and beautiful in snow

Taking place shortly after the events chronicled in "Warcraft III," this expansion pack introduces a new set of heroes and a brand-new danger for them to confront. Illidan Stormrage, last seen wandering the land in one heck of snit, has awakened the Naga, an ancient sea-dwelling race. With his newfound army, Illidan sets off to locate an artifact of enormous power.

The stories in the "Warcraft" games have always been more about earnest, if tragically flawed characters. Here, it's the same deal. You play through a host of wild events injected with a little humor and a lot of pathos. Cutscenes, both in-game and pre-rendered, are expertly crafted. They show a loving attention to detail not usually found in an expansion pack. It's good stuff and easily on par with the best Blizzard has ever mustered.

Not your average RTS campaign

"The Frozen Throne" gives the player two new campaigns to play through. The main quest, which follows the story mentioned above, is familiar territory for strategy enthusiasts. However, there are a few twists. Rarely does a mission follow the standard procedure for real-time strategy games. That is, build your base, build up a huge army, and crush everything in your path. Instead, you're kept on your toes dealing with monster generators, collapsing ruins that you must escape within a set time limit, and even an escort mission that doesn't suck. Yeah, color us surprised. The whole campaign feels fresh and original throughout and it's tough too. We'd rate it a little bit tougher than the original "WarCraft III" campaign, so you'll have your work cut out for you.

A second bonus campaign is also available. Interestingly, it plays more like a simplified version of "Diablo," complete with towns, shops, and quests. It's a fun if somewhat short addition to the game, but it shows off the versatility of the game tools nicely.

More heroes, more units, more buildings

One new hero and two regular units are added to each race. None of them are throwaways, either. Each new hero possesses an impressive roster of special powers that fit nicely into the game. Of the new units, the most tactically interesting are the spellbreakers. These units (one for each race) can nullify the effects of magic spells. They're a great addition to your army and will surely put a damper on a spell-happy opponent's party.

The buildings are merely shops that each race can build and they're a nice way to buff up your heroes before entering a big battle. Other miscellaneous units and upgrades are also included in "The Frozen Throne." At this point it's too early to tell just how useful they are, but die-hard "Warcraft" fans are already devising sinister new strategies with them on Battle.Net, so be warned.

This Frozen Throne is hot, hot, hot

"Warcraft III: The Frozen Throne" is every bit as good as the original. The campaigns are wonderfully crafted. There's a good challenging story with plenty of new gameplay. If anything, it shows that Blizzard is still king of the hill when it comes to expansion packs. For the "Warcraft" buff looking for more, we have no problem recommending you take a seat on "The Frozen Throne."
"Warcraft III: Frozen Throne" (PC)