Final Fantasy XI: Chains of Promathia is like the second course of a Thanksgiving dinner. Sure, everyone might have had a round of turkey and mashed potatoes, but there are still plenty of side dishes to try, be it the cranberry sauce or the sweet potato souffle. It's exactly what the community has been craving; more lands to explore, more enemies to fight, and more quests to embark upon.

While there wasn't a lack of tasks to do in Vana'diel before Chains of Promathia came along, there certainly is a vast amount of content that's been added to the to-do list. With the addition of a new story arc comes numerous quests that, when completed, help gamers learn more about what's going on in the world.

Those who are tired of hacking and slashing creatures they've seen time and time again now have different beasts to kill. Of course, how much you'll see is limited to the amount of time you're willing to invest. If your life is Final Fantasy XI, it makes sense that it will not be too long till there is nary an enemy you haven't encountered.

Despite the variety of monsters, killing countless enemies tends to become a little too repetitive for even the most battle-hardened souls of Vana'diel. However, there's much more to the game than mindless battling. There is always plenty to do just exploring the new areas in Chains of Promathia. For example, there are the heavily studied and ornate and recently opened underground ruins of Pso'Xja, then there are the shores of Bibiki Bay, quite possibly the best looking location in the game.

While these new additions are great, the lack of new gameplay features is disappointing. There is the Emptiness, stark areas with an eerie feel to them, haunted by beings searching for memories. They provide a decent challenge and a few post completion benefits, but they're the closest thing resembling a true gameplay change to Final Fantasy XI.

Final Fantasy: Chains of Promathia is an excellent example of what an expansion to a wildly popular massively multiplayer online role-playing game should include. There are plenty of uncharted destinations, as well new types of enemies to kill. Also, players will be treated to a wonderful selection of new quests to complete while exploring all that this expansion has to offer. If you're not a fan of FFXI, Chains won't convert you, but those addicted to Square Enix's online adventure shouldn't pass it up.