A Tale In The Desert ($14/month, 24 hours of play as free trial) is a unique MMORPG because has no combat system at all--not even against NPCs. Set in ancient Egypt, the prime focus of the game is crafting and building. Those who are used to crafting that consists of "click a recipe, watch a progress bar, get an item" will find A Tale In The Desert farm more involving.

A Tale In The Desert focuses on group projects and cooperative play, but when I was testing, I found it virtually abandoned, with plenty of empty player-constructed buildings but rarely more than a single other person on. The very few people I did meet were helpful and friendly, however. The 24-hour trial (that's 24 hours of play, not a day from first logon) should help you decide if you'd like to vacation in the desert...and maybe bring some friends.

Note: The Download button takes you to the vendor's site, where you can download the latest version of the software.

--Ian Harac