Icewind Dale II - PC

The Dungeons and Dragons engine, eh? It's quite possible that this smart little piece of computer programming is responsible for the rise of the online RPG. It spawned games like Baldur's Gate and the recently released Divine Divinity, but more importantly, an epic from Black Isle Studios called Icewind Dale, and now, Icewind Dale 2.

The call has gone out across the Sword Coast; the Ten-Towns of Icewind Dale are paying handsomely for mercenaries, soldiers, and adventurers of all types to sail north and defend the town of Targos from the encroaching goblinoid hordes. An unknown power is attempting to force the Ten-Towns to bow to their will. You and your stalwart band of would-be heroes must find out who or what is behind this and stop them at all costs.

Making the best use of the third generation D&D engine, Icewind Dale 2 features all new character classes such as the Barbarian, a typical warrior, Monk, a master of hand-to-hand combat, and Sorcerer, a natural with spells. There are new character races, skills, weapons, difficulty levels, an improved pause feature, new monsters, improved graphics and multi-player support for up to six players.

That's a lot of new stuff, and consequently, the game itself is significantly larger than the original and its expansion, Heart of Winter, combined. But for the most part, gameplay thankfully remains the same. Taking place across several new locales within the world of Icewind Dale, you'll still find yourself hacking, slashing and magic-ing your way through vast 2D environments. Hardcore players of the previous instalments will be pleased to know they can develop their characters to the 30th level.

Black Isle Studios has produced yet another excellent piece of work with Icewind Dale, and we know it's a long way off, but we can't wait for Icewind Dale 3. Here's hoping. more