The Elder Scrolls III: Bloodmoon

"Bloodmoon. Making a wonderful game even better."

Bloodmoon is the second expansion to the game, The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind. With this expansion, you will add an entire continent, Solstheim. Granted, it isn't as big as Vvardenfell, but it'll keep you busy for a long time.

Graphics 9/10

The graphics are pretty much the same as the original Morrowind, but I was very pleased with Morrowind's graphics, so I was also pleased with Bloodmoon's. With slower computers, there are frame rate problems when you enter a snow storm, but if it bugs you enough, you can always remove the blizzards via the Construction Set.

Overall, the landscape of Solstheim is beautiful. From the frozen lake Fjalding, to the Isinfier Plains, you will find yourself in awe. Especially after seeing hours and hours of Ashlands.

Sound 8/10

One of the perks of Bloodmoon is that most of the characters that you meet have unique spoken dialogue. In the original, everyone from a specific race had a list of very few things that they could say to you out loud. The background music is, disappointingly, the same as the background music from the original, but I can forgive them for that, since I rather enjoyed the music.

Gameplay 9/10

With Bloodmoon, new enemies are added. Most of them are very difficult, and a challenge is always fun. The quests are also more difficult, and there are even two separate ways of finishing the main quest. One way is much harder than the other.

There's plenty of caves scattered about, so you can spend hours just travelling around. Since there is little transportation on the island, you are forced to walk to most places. This may seem like a bad thing at first, but you'll end up exploring caves along the way, and overall have a much better time.

In Bloodmoon, the ability to turn into a Werewolf has been added in. When you contract Lycanthropy, you are only a Werewolf at night, so you can still do missions, and have normal conversations with people, as long as no one sees you changing forms. It is much more exciting than the Vampires of Morrowind.

Storyline 10/10

The storyline of Bloodmoon is excellent. Like I mentioned before, there are two ways of completing the game, which makes it even better. The quests are difficult, the rewards are great, and story that unfolds along the way is wonderful. It all starts with you doing minor work for Falx Carius at Fort Frostmoth, when a sudden attack on the village has you exploring uncharted territories to find out the answer. The story unravels from there.

You can even join the East Empire Company, and watch a mining colony being built as you go along. You'll make choices that will affect the outcome of the colony, and it's very exciting to see it all, once it is finished.

Replay Value 10/10

The replayability of this game is very high. You can do the main quest in more than one way, and even the East Empire Company has several outcomes. There are also many artifacts hidden around the island. I find myself coming back to Solstheim time and time again, just to look at the scenery.

Overall 9/10

Bloodmoon is a wonderful addition to Morrowind, and gives you much more to do. It is overall harder than the original, and the new enemies, weapons, armor, spoken text, quests, and everything else, make it very enjoyable, from beginning to end.

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 05/23/04