"Something sinister plagues Britannia"

In The Black Gate, the seventh and perhaps best chapter in the Ultima series, you once again take control of the Avatar, the hero from Earth who embodies all virtues and more than once saved Britannia from peril.

One evening, a red moongate appears outside your home unexpectedly, and believing Britannia may again be in trouble, you step inside. You arrive in Britannia at the scene of a grisly murder, and you see that things have drastically changed since your last visit. Magic no longer works correctly. Also, a mysterious cult has sprung up called The Fellowship, and it's threatening to supplant Lord British's eight virtues. To make matters worse, you're being tormented by a being known only as The Guardian, who seems to be behind the troubles.

This is the story behind Ultima VII, certainly the darkest chapter in the Ultima saga, and a game that often comes up in discussions of the best computer role playing games of all time. Despite some problems, Ultima VII remains one of the most remarkable role playing games ever made because of its great story and interactive world.

After six installments in the Ultima series, Richard Garriott decided to take the seventh in new directions. The Black Gate was the first game in the Ultima series to be completely mouse-driven. Everything from picking up objects to engaging in conversation is done with a point and a click. For the most part, this simplified control improves gameplay and makes the world much more interactive. The only area where gameplay takes a hit due to the simple controls is combat.

Combat in Ultima VII is done in real time, with you giving orders to your party before combat and initiating with a simple click. This streamlines gameplay significantly over previous Ultima games, which were turn-based and offered complete control over your party. The downside of this, of course, is that you are no longer in control of what your party does, and you're liable to get stabbed in the back by a party member a few times and party members might run away, dropping valuable items. If you've played Baldur's Gate or Darklands, you should have an idea of what combat is like in Ultima VII, only here you cannot pause to change orders. In short, combat is a total mess in Ultima VII.

Luckily, there's more to do in Britannia than slay everything that gets in your way--much more, in fact. As you investigate the brutal murders, you will talk to hundreds of NPCs who have quite a bit to say. If you despise lengthy dialogue, then Ultima VII may not be for you. Much of the game is spent saying the right things to NPCs and gathering clues that lead you to another town or location. Most of what you hear will be of no use to you, but serve to draw you into the world.

Another major aspect of the gameplay is searching the vast world for items and treasure that will outfit your party. The world in Ultima VII is totally interactive, meaning you can open drawers to find items, move everything around and even steal from the locals in you wish to betray the virtues. The game's creators did an amazing job creating a virtual world that is completely open for you to explore and interact with.

There is one minor problem with the gameplay that becomes a major headache as you get further along in the game: item management. As you fill your pack with items, it turns into a orderless mess, making finding necessary items a chore. You can organize it, but the next time you open your pack, it'll be scattered again. In a game where you're constantly accessing your pack to find medicine, food, and items, this becomes a pain.

The graphics in Ultima VII were too much for most PCs to handle when it was released and still hold up today. The most impressive aspect of the graphics is the level of detail that makes Britannia look like a world that has really been lived in. Wagon tracks line the paths, dust settles on abandoned houses, and garbage collects along the lake shore. To further create the illusion of a real world, NPC movements are scripted, so they get up, go to work, and go about their lives.

The soundtrack is also very good, with some memorable songs that provide a perfect background for the dark, sinister plot. The music will change based on where you are traveling. Walk through the quaint village of Paws and you'll hear rustic, folky music; travel north to Britannia and it changes to a grand, sweeping score.

Ultima VII: The Black Gate is a huge game that will take you many hours to complete, and even more if you want to discover all its secrets. Amazingly, this is only the first half of the story, which is continued with Serpent Isle, the more linear chapter in the story. The Black Gate is the better half, though, because it gives you the entire world of Britannia to explore freely. Ultima VII is the pinnacle of the Ultima series, and a game every RPG fan should try.

Reviewer's Score: 10/10, Originally Posted: 06/29/05