Difficulty:

Just Right

Time Spent:

20 to 40 Hours

The Bottom Line:

"Just plain fun"

When the original Baldur's Gate: Dark Alliance was released on the PS2, GameCube and XBox, it was a good game by it's own right, although somewhat linear. With the sequel to this game released at a time when Interplay, the holder of the D&D license at the time, was on the brink of dissolvement, it improves over it's predecessor in more ways than one.


Graphicswise, it is the same game as before, just with a few minor upgrades. The graphics are very fluid, just like the original Dark Alliance, but very brighter in some area. The monsters in this game are the same ones as before, with the addition of some new ones, like the Troll and the Goblin, among others. Also of note that because the areas you'll be traveling to are much brighter in light, you'll have a much easier time reading your gauges than before.


As far as sounds are concerned, they are up there. The game uses a almost new soundtrack of music, all of it orchestrated, just like the original installment. The dialogue spoken is much cleaner than before, with an excellent detail to voice acting. Also, the PCs you'll be playing as also get to speak, in some way, breaking the sacred fourth wall of fiction.

Controlwise, it is still accessible, but improved upon. To accompany the regular controls such as using potions and switching weapons on the fly, you'll also get to use the L1 button as a shift key, allowing for more hotkey commands on a PS2 controller than you'll ever find on a keyboard playing Diablo II. The right analog stick, of course, is used for controlling the camera angle.


Regarding the gameplay, it is the most improved of the bunch. Whereas in the original Dark Alliance game you were forced on a linear path to get through the game, the sequel adds a little bit of open-ended gameplay into the mix. Upon talking to a certain NPC, you'll access a few optional areas that will allow you to explore them and kill whatever monsters that are infesting thar hills there, thus adding to your experience points totals and gaining more levels.

Also of note that the challenge of the original game is carried over to this one, meaning that monsters don't respawn at all. New to this installment is the workshop feature, which allows you to create magic-enhanced weapons and items, provided that you have the necessary materials and a boatload of gold coins. This adds to the customization, so you could create a flaming crossbow just for those pesky trolls, who can only be killed by either fire or acid attacks.


Overall, this is definitely a very worthy sequel to an already good action RPG. If you can scrounge up the cash needed to buy this game, it is worth every penny spent.l