Baldur’s Gate 2: Shadows of Amn

Herald rating: * * * * *

Interplay, PC, M15, $65

Review: Peter Eley

Baldur's Gate is one of the most popular role-playing games, and this sequel has been eagerly awaited by its legions of fans.

They can breathe a sigh of relief, for it is first-class — recognisably the same game, but different enough to be worth buying.

It's another monster effort, coming on four CDs and accompanied by a novel-sized instruction book. Yes, you will need to read it if you want to play the game properly.

Baldur's Gate is based on that complex game Advanced Dungeons and Dragons, and vital nuggets of information are contained in the manual.

There is what Interplay calls a quick reference card. I gave up counting the number of commands and spells at 300.

The first game was set during the Time of Troubles, a cataclysmic period in the Forgotten Realms, when Bhaal, the Lord of Murder, sought to be reborn.

Shadows of Amn takes place a year later, where once again Bhaal seems to be lurking around every corner. It's a highly stylised game which rewards effort, but the dedication required to play it properly will not be to everyone's taste.

Like the actual Dungeons and Dragons game, it is full of rules and hierarchies which take some mastering, but Interplay has made an effort to speed up the sequel, mainly through better dialogue.

There are still hundreds of spells to master, hundreds of monsters and thousands of non-playing characters to contend with. New characters include Half-Orcs, the Beastmaster, Undead Hunter, and Assassins.

The graphics have been polished up for 3D acceleration and 80-0 x 600 resolution, and a Pentium 11 266 with 64mb ram is recommended.

The game is broken up into eight chapters, each with sub-plots and adventures. Interplay say it will take more than 100 hours to complete and this seems quite conservative.

Even then, there's the multi-player mode, which Interplay have put a lot of effort into this time around.

Up to six players can take part in a cooperative game, and it's best to be aware of Dungeons and Dragons rules and conventions before logging on.

E-mail: peter_eley@herald.co.nz