"A quite good, but rather limited addition to Baldur's Gate"

Baldur's Gate was a fine RPG, and Tales of the Sword Coast (henceforth TotSC) adds to it, but in truth it adds very little, and ultimately you'll end up wondering why many of the features weren't in the original game.

So, what does it add? Well, first and foremost it adds two huge side-quests to the game, ''Durlag's Tower'' and ''The Ship of Balduran''. These quests will take hours upon hours of gameplay to complete, because as well as being very long they are also very challenging, more so than even the most difficult quests from the original game, so there's no question of you just waltzing through these quests at level 1 - your characters will have to be prepared. The quests themselves are well thought out and span several locations and sub-sub-quests (okay, so I couldn't think of a better word to use..), but my main problem with them is they do nothing to add to or advance the main plotline to Baldur's Gate - they are in essence just optional sideshows, which is a little disappointing for those of us who just like to get on with a game and advance the plot. Still, if you're willing to give the quests a try they'll occupy you for a long time.

TotSC also adds some nifty new spells, which is a nice touch. These are mainly more powerful spells than were available in the original Baldur's Gate, and so they'll go a long way towards helping you in the more difficult quests if you use them wisely. However, only a few new spells are included, which is a little disappointing - there was scope for several more to be added.

You'll also get several bug fixes in TotSC, which is wonderful except for the fact that you can't help but feel a little cheated that they weren't at least patched in the original, if not fixed before release. Still, better late than never I suppose. The experience cap for your characters is also raised slightly, which is good news considering how hard the new quests are! :)

And... well, that's it. While TotSC is certainly far from a bad addition to Baldur's Gate, you can't help but feel a little frustrated that so little has been added. Once you get through the side-quests, which will admittedly take you a while, and will be enjoyable (but difficult), there's little else left. No new potential party members, no new character races or classes, just the side quests, a few new spells, and a few bug fixes. Still, it's definitely worth getting on the cheap, but when I bought it a year or two ago for £20 I couldn't help but feel a little cheated.

So, there you are. A short review, mainly because there are so few additions to the original to talk about, although the additions that are included are good. If you have Baldur's Gate and are eager to get a few more hours enjoyment out of it, then by all means go and get it. Otherwise, don't bother - the original is great enough as it is...

Reviewer's Score: 6/10, Originally Posted: 05/19/02, Updated 05/20/02