KOTOR, also due for the PC in November, is currently drawing more buzz than any title in game land. Industry insiders agree that it is emblematic of the dawning of a golden age of gaming.

industry Holy Grail -- the interactive movie.

Take this year's Lord of the Rings entry, due out in November in advance of the movie trilogy's final installment. Gamers will be able to play any of eight different characters -- including hobbits Frodo and Sam, the wizard Gandalf, Aragorn, Gimli the dwarf and others. The styles of play have been widened from button-mashing hack-and-slash to include elements of stealth, particularly for characters like Frodo, Earl said.

Game environments offer more opportunities for exploration. Doors that last year were "painted on" this year open into rooms through which players can wander. Environments can be manipulated; for instance, cutting a rope can bring a hanging object down on enemies' heads.

"We've opened the styles of play to appeal to a much wider audience," Earl said.

[James Bond 007: Everything or Nothing] will put more of a premium on stealth and cunning, and paths through the game could diverge based on choices the player makes, even if those paths all wind up at the same ending.

"It's not going to be a golden age until the mainstream entertainment consumer says, 'Wow, this game's so awesome,'" said Libe Goad, editor of GameGal.com. She says she's currently addicted to KOTOR as well as the new online virtual world, Star Wars Galaxies.