The Elder Scrolls III: Tribunal

"We're STILL watching you, scum!"

Just when you think Morrowind couldn’t get any bigger, Bethesda go and release Tribunal, an expansion pack to the already immense world they created. In Tribunal, players will be able to engage in another gripping (more linear) storyline, filled with more Gods, more Kings and more really sharp swords than ever before.

Storyline 10/10 – Well, without giving too much away, Tribunal can be accessed at anytime during the original game. (Although you may want to wait until you’ve levelled up a bit before tackling the High Ordinators and Royal Guards!) All you have to do is sleep, and then assassins known as the Dark Brotherhood will attack you. Looking into this quest can get you transported to Mournhold by a mage in the Council building at Ebonheart. From here you can go backwards and forwards between Mournhold and Vvardenfell so you are never restricted to just one world. The story mainly follows your relationship with one of the Tribunal Goddesses, Almalexia who has her High Ordinators (If you thought the gold Ordinators were bad you should wait until you see how tough the silver ones are!), King Helseth and the hatred they have for each other. It’s a sort of ‘Cold War’ between the Temple and the Palace. Most of the story takes place underneath the city in the depths of the dungeons where you will either be doing quests for Helseth or Almalexia.

Graphics 10/10 – The graphics in Tribunal are pretty much the same as in Morrowind, amazing. The textures and scenery are still pleasing to look at while the new creatures and skins have been added to the game.

Sound 9/10 – In Morrowind, the music was one of the things that pleased me the most. It can a bit repetitive at times, but never enough to make you reach for the ‘off’ button on your speakers. The only new area of sound Bethesda have added are the voices for the NPC’s.

Gameplay 10/10 – Now this is where most of the main improvements lie. The new journal system now allows you to sort your quests out into a list, rather than hunting through hundreds of pages just to find one entry. However, if you’re loading up an existing game the first time you enter Tribunal then it could take AGES to sort out all the different quests into order. I had time to make 2 cups of tea and watch an episode of The Simpsons. Also, notes can be added onto the local map. All you have to do is double-click on where you want to place the marker; type in a name then Bobs your uncle. One area I do like is the ‘Hire a Mercenary’ option. For a certain amount of gold, he will fight with you and carry items for you. His inventory can be easily accessed just by talking to him and you can load him up with anything that he can carry, just as long as he gets his payment. If you don’t fancy having a buddy to fight with then you can always hire a pack animal to carry items. The other main feature is a button called ‘Seller Max’ which automatically matches a shopkeeper’s maximum gold amount.

Lifespan 6/10 – As this is only an expansion pack, it doesn’t have the mega-replay value of Morrowind. Morrowindaholics would have already played every class and every race by now so there would be no need to do it all again with Tribunal.

Overall 9/10 – If you’ve got Morrowind then get Tribunal. It adds many new features that will keep hardcore Morrowinders entertained for a long while. If you haven’t got Morrowind then get it immediately, along with Tribunal. This is one game you don’t want to miss out on.

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