I gave Diablo 3 a five-star review, and though the word "perfect" didn't come up, I did call it "a masterpiece." I still stand by that score, despite the somewhat bumpy reputation the game has earned since launch. Now, Torchlight 2 has finally arrived to complete the pair. Besides their obvious genre connection, Runic Games' Max Schafer co-founded Blizzard North (where he helped make Diablo and Diablo 2), and these two anticipated sequels have crossed paths more than a few times during production.

Spoiler: I'm giving Torchlight 2 a half-star less. The game makes some minor missteps in design, and I don't think the pacing or the scope matches up to that of Diablo 3.

I say that right here in the beginning so I can move on to a different point: Ratings and comparisons aside, Torchlight 2 is an accomplishment by this studio of less than 30 people, a feat that's impressive regardless of any other long-awaited dungeon crawlers that arrived earlier this summer. It's an excellent follow-up to the popular first game in the series, and at a ridiculous price of just $19.99 it demands to be played both by fans of the genre and of great PC games.