With the newly unveiled Fable III at least a year away, Microsoft is giving gamers a chance to experience Fable II in a slightly different form. They're releasing the game in episodes through Xbox Live.

The first installment of Fable II: Game Episodes will be released on September 29th. The initial episode takes players through the childhood and young adult phase of the game. Once they've completed this segment, they'll have the option of purchasing the entire game (in select regions) or the next chapter.

Fable II will be broken into five episodes into total. Pricing was not revealed but the first episode will be free. Fable II: Game Episodes will be compatible with the "Knothole Island” and “See the Future" downloadable content released for the retail version. You'll be able to play local or online cooperatively with a friend even if they own the disc-based Fable II.