The game I’ve been spending all my allowed pc time on at the moment is Icewind Dale. And it’s great.
But I can hear you all say: “Al, it’s an OLD game. If you must play that kind of thing why not play Neverwinter Nights?”
Yeah, I’ve played Neverwinter Nights and it IS really cool. But there’s something about the style of ID (and Baldur’s Gate I & II) which I really get in to. Gameplay-wise it’s relatively straight-forward. You create your merry band and march off to adventure.
The character creation is based on the 2nd edition AD&D rules (as is the rest of the game) which allows for the usual suspects: fighter, ranger, paladin, cleric, druid, mage, thief or bard. Always best to have a range of character classes, but then you knew that already didn’t you?
The story starts with your arrival in Easthaven, one of the Ten Towns of Icewind Dale, and there’s trouble which only you and your fellow adventurers can sort. Which is convenient.
An expansion, Heart of Winter, was available and is just as good as the original game. There’s a free downloadable second expansion for the Heart of Winter which I haven’t tried yet but looks cool.
I’d advise anyone who likes Neverwinter Nights, or that kind of game, to give Icewind Dale a chance. It’s not as good visually but the game rocks.
BigAl
Icewind Dale is an excellent game! Quite how some mags moaned it was a boring “dungeon bash” and then, in the same issue, praised Diablo II I don’t know. You should get Trials of the Luremaster, it’s short but challenging. And it’s free! Best bit in that expansion is the Paladin that begs for your help… you’ll know it when you get there. Oh, and make sure you play it before completing Heart of Winter.