After Mortal Kombat 2, the Midway beat-em-up seemed to plunge into a downward spiral that it didn't manage to climb out of until the release of Deadly Alliance gave new life to the series in 2002. Two years on, the second game in the current generation of the Midway beat-em-up has arrived under the name of Deception. Taking note of the minor quibbles the hardcore had with Deadly Alliance, Deception brings with it a new chapter in MK mythology together with new characters, new moves, mini-games and more importantly, online play. Excluding the usual gameplay elements you might see in any game in the genre, the single-player game alone is host to around 30 hours gameplay, thanks to an unusually involving and complete story. Konquest mode, which plays more like your typical adventure game or RPG, has players interacting with NPCs amidst a plethora of training missions and battles. And while this mode featured heavily in its predecessor too, this 2004 update is much more refined and fluid than before. The core of one-to-one combat remains much like it always has, with a tap-and-press play mechanic being employed as the player's means to fight in a series of varied, sometimes multi-tiered locations that bring an increased feeling of realism in this fictional scrap. There are several new characters, a greater library of moves and a new bunch of new fatalities for those who like to boast of their victories in battle. But making all of the above seem almost trivial in comparison is the very welcome introduction of online play, allowing combatants to partake with others from all over the world in a series of head-to-head battles and global tournaments. It brings a communal feel to the MK experience, and players can also take Deception's Chess Kombat and Puzzle Kombat mini-games online too, offering diverse gameplay both in the multi-player and single-player games. Deception doesn't just keep the phenomenal gameplay and diversity of Deadly Alliance alive; it builds upon it. We'd go as far as to say that Deception is a better game than its predecessor, and arguably the best in the series altogether.