"The peak not only of the Ultima series, but of PC RPGs as well"

Ultima VII is, without a doubt, Richard Garriot's best work. It is the largest game in the Ultima series, has the deepest plot, and is the best game in the series. The reason this game is so enormous is because it spans across two separate programs. The Black Gate, which this review is about, is only the first half of the game. Serpent Isle is the second half. Together, The Black Gate and Serpent Isle make one of the greatest games in PC RPG history, if not the greatest.

The game interface was totally revamped from that seen in Ultima VI. No longer do you require the keyboard. In fact, that's only used for movement and shortcuts. You'll use the mouse to select speech options when speaking to NPCs, and to navigate menus, pick up items, etc. The status screen is a floating box that you can drag around the screen, and you'll be equipping your character through such menus. Unfortunately, The Black Gate doesn't have the paper doll feature that was introduced in Ultima Underworld. Thankfully that problem was fixed in Serpent Isle, but that's a whole other review...

Battle is no longer turn based like it was in Ultima 1-6, i.e. enemies will not wait for you to move or attack. You now control only the Avatar (even that is optional), and you set strategic commands through the status menu that your party members will follow.

You have been summoned to Britannia yet again through a gate, and the moment you set foot there you 're in Trinsic and are greeted by your old friend Iolo. He's now an old fogy, and about 100 years have passed since you last visited. He and the mayor had discovered that there was a gruesome ceremonial murder in the stables and you immediately set out to discover the culprit. The Black Gate's plot completely revolves around the existence of an organization called the ''Fellowship.'' The Fellowship's members strive to follow three basic tenets to try to improve society. The founder was a man named Batlin. From the outside it seems harmless, but is it really? You'll meet Batlin early in the game and throughout the game investigate things to find out the truth about the murders, the Fellowship, and will stumble onto some surprises in the process. Oh yes, the Fellowship has been around long enough to integrate into society so much, that it practically runs all of Britannia.

Overall - A very well deserved perfect 10/10

If you consider yourself an RPG fan, you owe it to yourself to play Ultima VII. Don't just play The Black Gate though, it's only half of the full experience of this massive masterpiece.

I must warn people though, this is not a game for children. There are very explicit scenes, most notably the ceremonial murders which depict person's limbs separated from the body surrounded by ceremonial candles. Religious people may find certain things in this game offensive. There is also sexual situations.

Reviewer's Score: 10/10, Originally Posted: 12/07/02, Updated 12/07/02