The Escapist 2008 Holiday Buyer's Guide

The Escapist Holiday Buyers' Guide: Social Gamer

World of Warcraft: Wrath of the Lich King (PC)

Sometimes it feels like World of Warcraft is more of a sweeping cultural phenomenon than it is a mere online game. It's the biggest MMORPG in the world, boasting a staggering 11 million players - and with Wrath of the Lich King, its second expansion, it just became even bigger. Lich King adds a slew of new features, including a new player class, a gigantic and previously unexplorable continent, and ten more levels of adventuring - and it makes everything else better than ever. WoW's incredible popularity has always been due in part to its accessibility to people who've never played an MMORPG in their lives, and it's still the best way to ease into the vast and intimidating world of the MMO. (Fear not - soon, you'll be ganking noobs with the best of 'em.)

Grab a buddy or two and go on quests or explore the new continent of Northrend. Make a new friend in the middle of a baddie-filled dungeon crawl - so what if Prettykitten the perky Night Elf isn't the hot Swedish supermodel she claims to be? From librarians and students to lawyers and the next co-chair of the FCC, there's something in World of Warcraft for just about everybody. Azeroth awaits!

Up next: The zombie apocalypse is here - you might want to bring some friends.