Baldur's Gate II: Throne of Bhaal

"The best expansion pack EVER..."

Baldur's Gate I was an AWESOME experience for me. The game was deep, didn't revolve solely around combat (as in, it allowed me to sneak around, steal stuff, and basically do the adventurer gigue.) Then I got Baldur's Gate II right around the time it's expansion Throne of Bhaal came out. I eventually got TOB, and now, I'm finally at the conclusion, and I can say that it is, hands down, the BEST PC RPG/Expansion ever. (Well... until I play Neverwinter Nights :-D )

Graphics: 9
Throne of Bhaal, while not 3D, still has some of the best looking graphics around. Sharp looking interface, cool spell effects, and super-detailed backgrounds. Characters look good, albeit sometimes a bit too similar. Overall, a very well-produced visual package.

Sound: 10
The sound in this game is perfect. It is no longer the goofy, digitized-sounding stuff of the past two Gate games, we now get fully orchestrated (and well done) soundtracks. Sound effects are dead on, ranging from ambient noises, to the sounds of battle. Voice-overs are some of the best I've heard, and set very high standards for PC RPG's... and they have Raziel's voice as Haer'Dalis (waaah, why not EDWIN!?).

Control: 8
The menus and stuff are a BIT complicated at first, but by now (for me) they've become second nature. They are actually very intuitive, but the only bummer is that they can be annoying during a battle. More hotkeys would've been cool. Overall, the controls are well laid-out and very responsive. I've never died because of control problems

Story: 8
Original, entertaining, and not entirely predictable. Just what we need. Plus, it's a reason to play through this incredible game. :-D

Gameplay: 11 ;-)
The gameplay in this game is incredibly good. Some might complain that it is slow paced, or that pausing is lame, but its a strategic combat system based on AD&D! That system is well over 15 years old now (I think?), but it has been translated perfectly into a game. The combat is VERY well-thought out, and every fight is a joy. New abilities have been added to the original BG2 mix, such as high level spells (can you say, ''COMET?''), greater bard songs, and whirlwinding abilites. Very cool. But my favorite aspect, by far, is being able to search out every little nook and cranny of every area and find all kinds of items of awesome power. In short, it really gives you a feeling of being an 'adventurer.' There is so much to do and see, it just feels like you really have an incredibly powerful adventurer on your hands, out to see all that there is to see.

In the end, this game has incredible gameplay and depth, and is well worth the purchase price. If you have Baldur's Gate 2, and you liked it, you owe it to yourself to get this game!!

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 09/12/02, Updated 09/12/02