Well, here it is... Baldur's Gate II. This one had almost as much hype as Diablo II, and the game is every bit as good! Now to be honest, I didn't like the original Baldur's Gate that much. I found the story line pretty thin, and the predetermined party interaction a little silly. Baldur's Gate II improved on the story line very well, though the interaction between the party members did get a little irritating. Still, what a great game!
To begin with, the number of quests in the game are many, not counting the main one of course. Each character class has a special quest designed for that class, with the end goal of these quests (usually a powerful item) something that really makes it worth the time. For instance, the Paladin quest gets you a +5 Holy Avenger sword! Just these quests alone make the game worth playing, and the replay value high!
The game engine is the same used for Icewind Dale and the original Baldur's Gate, though with some modifications such as increased resolution support, and it is every bit as effective here. Strategy becomes extremely important in the fighting in this game, and there is plenty of fighting! Proper positioning of your characters and intelligent use of the spells and character traits of your characters is extremely important if you are to succeed! This is very different from Diablo II, which was really just mindless hack and slash.
Expect to run into some nasty monsters! Liches, dragons, and all kinds of beasts seek to end your life, and all have different abilities and characteristics, making each fight a whole new experience. A nice little feature is the ability to play your characters with evil intent, if you so desire. The choices you make in the game affect the interactions with other characters later, and if you make the choice to play an evil character, then you better be prepared to face the consequences!
Now this is not really part of the game itself, but it is worth mentioning. There is an Official Strategy Guide available from Brady Books and it is VERY comprehensive, to the point of offering all kinds of cheats! These are a lot of fun to play around with, but if you want to get the most out of the game, you should leave the hint book behind and forge ahead without it. Among other things, it has very valuable information on character generation. So that part of the book alone might be worth a look.
All in all, Baldur's Gate II is a vast improvement over the original. More spells, items, variance in game play, and replay value make this one a winner! Interplay and BioWare (along with Black Isle Studios) have, as far as I am concerned, a strangle hold on the RPG market right now, and this one only adds to their place of dominance. A lot of fun, and well worth the money, this game has all the right ingredients for a winning role-playing game!
