It seems like Blizzard will have an unstoppable 2010. Along with the previously announced World of Warcraft: Cataclysm and the much-anticipated Starcraft II, the company is hard at work on the newest sequel to its action/RPG series, Diablo III. If exploring dungeons, slaughtering monsters and grabbing loot sounds like a fun time, this ambitious adventure has just what you need.

Diablo's ready for battle once more.Click to see more images from the game...

The story picks up 20 years after the previous Diablo games, with a whole new generation of heroes stepping up to defend their world of Sanctuary. You'll choose from five character classes, including the Witch Doctor, the Barbarian, the Wizard, the newly announced Monk and a yet-to-be revealed class. Each character has his or her special abilities and attributes, some of which are close-range (the Barbarian and the Monk) and others that strike better from a distance (the Wizard and the Witch Doctor).

In terms of gameplay, the combat is much simpler, thanks to the addition of hot bar commands. Attacks are spread out between the first four number keys, which you can summon with the right amount of energy. In addition, you can swap out skills by tapping the right mouse button, rather than trying to mash a button on the keyboard; if one set of moves doesn't work, you can immediately switch to the next. By combining all of these moves, your warrior will be able to rip through most enemies like tissue paper. You'll also be able to snag dropped loot by hitting the Alt button, which you can then use to upgrade armor and abilities.

That doesn't mean the demons are just going to stand there and absorb punishment. Blizzard modified the difficulty so the game packs a serious challenge. No longer will you be able to increase your health supply by constantly using home portals. You'll actually have to balance out your health upgrades, since you can only use them so often while in a specific map. You'll also want to watch your mana and fury levels for higher attacks. Drain yourself too quickly, and you'll be in a world of hurt.

In addition to health and other power-ups, each map also gives you Runes. These provide one of five different effects per stage, including increased damage and expanded distance on ranged attacks. You'll have to pick your coordinating skill sets carefully in order to get the most from them. Considering that each character class is different, there's a lot to play around with.

Speaking of the character classes, they're still very dynamic. The barbarian is a carry-over from Diablo II and still just as powerful. The Wizard, despite her sexy looks, dishes out a lot of pain, using lightning bolts and other summoned spells to topple demons. The Witch Doctor destroys enemies with his supernatural abilities, including fireballs and summoning zombies and locusts to eat his foes.

Finally, the Monk should be a welcome addition to the series. He's a perfect blend of mind and body, a character that uses kung fu techniques for up-close attacks. His abilities include Way of the Hundred Fists and Crippling Wave, which sound like they can do a whole lot of damage.

There's still one more character class to be revealed, but no matter who you choose, you're going to have your hands full. It seems that Deckard Cain, a mainstay in the series, is back yet again, and there's no telling what role he'll play in Diablo III. Perhaps you'll learn some clues in his Journal.

Best of all, Diablo III will incorporate the online play that fans have enjoyed so much over the years. Blizzard plans to re-launch the Battle.net service, though the company has yet to release many details.

Obviously, there are more than enough reasons to get excited about Diablo III. The return of old-school gameplay, new character classes and other features will make this a huge favorite amongst PC users, at least until Blizzard announces Diablo IV.