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Icewind Dale II (PC)
Black Isle and Interplay are back for one last dance with the venerable Infinity engine.
By William Abner | August 27, 2002

Very Good

The Lowdown: A combat heavy romp that puts the 3rd Edition D&D; rules to good use.

Pros:	The 3rd Edition rules are a blast; detailed character creation; good storyline; topnotch mood music and voice acting.
Cons:	Very, very difficult; some silly puzzles; horrible pathfinding; a few odd bugs; extremely combat heavy.

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Platform: Windows

Game Type: RPG
Developer: Black Isle Studios
Publisher: Interplay

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If you are at all familiar with the original Icewind Dale and its two expansions, then you know exactly what to expect from Icewind Dale II -- a combat laden D&D; adventure with one big fight after another.

This, in and of itself, isn't a bad thing, and the new 3rd Edition rules certainly make things more interesting, but in the end there remains a feeling of "been there, done that" that cannot be expelled. However, this is a solid, if not unspectacular, hack-and-slash adventure and a good game on which to retire the classic Infinity engine.

Return to the Spine of the World

The sequel takes place some 30 years after the events in Icewind Dale. (The events of the original game are referenced many times throughout the course of the sequel.) Your merry band of adventurers is traveling to aid the besieged city of Targos, looking for fame and fortune as mercenaries. The small hunting and fishing town is under attack from raiding orcs and goblins, and you (among a few other mercenary groups) were hired to repel the attacks and help save the city.

The meat of the story is finding out whom or what is responsible for the attacks -- and stopping them. This search takes you on a wild ride from Targos, back to a few familiar locations from the original game, and even to areas far, far removed from the wintry landscapes of the Spine of the World Mountains. It's more epic in scope than the original, and the story more fleshed out -- it's also bigger ... a lot bigger. Black Isle has stated that the game is larger than the original and its add-ons combined, and this certainly appears to be the case. While not as huge as Baldur's Gate II, Icewind Dale II should keep you busy for quite some time. There are a lot of bad guys to kill.

A 3rd Edition Party

Without question, the star of the show is the new 3rd Edition rule set. The new rules add so much life to the game that it makes you wonder how older games such as the Baldur's Gate series would benefit from the changes. It truly makes for a better experience, especially in terms of character freedoms. Want to deck your mage out with heavy armor? Want your barbarian to try to search for traps? Want to make a halfling cleric or a half-orc mage? Anything is possible. The character system, along with the addition of several sub races such as Moon Elves, Gold Dwarves, Rock Gnomes, and Lightfoot Halflings to name a few, doesn't limit you the way the old rules did and it makes for much more rounded and unique characters.

The new character creation system is excellent.

The new "feat" system works wonderfully. There are over 75 feats in the game such as Power Attack, Cleave, Toughness, Rapid Fire, Spell Penetration, Hamstring (a lovely thief feat), and Lightning Reflexes. These new feats add even more flavor to your characters; as they gain experience and increase in level more feats are made available to them -- some of which are class specific. It cannot be stressed enough just how much they add to the game; going back and playing an older Infinity engine game without them seems impossible.

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