Category Archives: Reviews

Jagged Alliance 2 is locked, loaded and ready for action

Jagged Alliance 2 gives armchair mercenaries the ability to travel to exciting places, meet new and fascinating people, and kill them. Jagged Alliance 2 is actually the third in the mercenary-for-hire series on the PC, and by far is the best one yet. I love turn based combat games, especially the ones where you can maneuver in real time till the shooting starts. This gives you the ability to wander around and explore without having to worry about your characters annoyingly running out of action points. It was this type of interface that was missing from the second game in … Continue reading Jagged Alliance 2 is locked, loaded and ready for action

Lands of Lore III is a worthy sequel

When I first picked up the box I was not sure how I was going to like Lands of Lore 3. The original Lands of Lore rates as one of my all time favorites, but LoL2, while not bad, did not measure up to the original. My first impression of LoL3 was good. The box was visually impressive and based on the pictures, the graphics looked awesome to say the least. A quick look at the box told me that there were the four standard guilds or classes to choose from, and something new — a guild familiar for each … Continue reading Lands of Lore III is a worthy sequel

System Shock 2

Almost five years ago, Looking Glass Technologies took the idea of the typical first person shooter, and implemented it into a futuristic role-playing style environment. The role-playing theme worked successfully in their past games Ultima Underworld I and II. And their futuristic version, System Shock, was just as successful. In fact, System Shock has been rated by certain publications as one of the greatest games of all time. It was almost inevitable for a sequel to arrive, and now that sequel is here. And just like its predecessor, it is something to remember. Taking place 30 years after the first … Continue reading System Shock 2

Magic and Mayhem is spellbinding

Enter into a world of spells and enchantment, mystical arts, and vast races of forgotten creatures. A world enriched in beauty and yet full of danger and chaos on every corner. Gather your reagents and call upon the ancient manuscripts of magic for protection. Use words of power, or summon powerful allies at your side to aid you in completing your objectives. Combine all these elements together and you get "Magic and Mayhem," a wonderful combination of strategy and roleplaying. Whether you are a militant tactician or a seeker of new adventures, this game will satisfy any RPG fan’s tastebuds. … Continue reading Magic and Mayhem is spellbinding

Return to Krondor lives up to its reputation

Return to Krondor is the official sequel to Betrayal at Krondor, a really fun game that I enjoyed when it first came out, and then again a few months ago when I downloaded it for free from the Sierra web site. It is worth noting that there is also an interim game put out by Sierra called Betrayal in Antara. It is not part of the official Krondor series but it is a lot of fun. And if you enjoy either of the Krondor games, you will really like it. The story behind Return to Krondor was written by best … Continue reading Return to Krondor lives up to its reputation

Quest for Glory V will have you burning the midnight oil

To start off, let me say that Quest for Glory V: Dragon Fire is hot. Graphics, sound and story all combine to make this title one that you simply mush have in your collection. Quest for Glory V: Dragon Fire is a side view and side-scrolling graphic adventure and role playing game, and interestingly enough, is completely different from the two other games that Sierra put out at about the same time. The other two games are Kings Quest: Mask of Eternity, and Return to Krondor. I know, I was fortunate enough to be given the task of reviewing all … Continue reading Quest for Glory V will have you burning the midnight oil

An insiders report from Norrath

I had the opportunity to be a beta tester in the final phase of beta testing for EverQuest, which was released by Sony last week. Being in on the ground floor of this one, I can say that I think it will challenge Origin System’s Ultima Online for the title of the most popular online role-playing game. The first time I logged on, I was thrilled to see all of the options for creating a character. Everything from the usual gender, and class to race and religion was included as a changeable option. As a long time Ultima Online player, … Continue reading An insiders report from Norrath

Fallout 2 serves up a mess of nukes and kooks

When I reviewed the original Fallout, I said that 80 years after a global nuclear war, the old neighborhood had changed a bit. Now Fallout 2 takes place a generation after the first, but things in the wasteland haven’t changed that much. Your character still has to face all the greed, crime, corruption, murder and mayhem that a degenerating society can throw at them, and it’s a heck of a lot of fun. When the original Fallout came out, people were amazed that such a quality role-playing game could take place without an elf, magic-user or dragon in sight. Many … Continue reading Fallout 2 serves up a mess of nukes and kooks

Hexplore Your World

Welcome to the more personal side of Online Role playing. When I first received Hexplore, I played the first level by myself in the single player mode and I had a really good time. I fought monsters and recruited an archer and a warrior to go with my adventurer character. I explored a town and purchased a better axe for my warrior, and I learned a lot about how the interface works. Overall, it was a very helpful experience. Unfortunately, that is also about the extent of the usefulness of the single player version. The multi player version, which I … Continue reading Hexplore Your World