Advanced Dungeons & Dragons: Heroes of the Lance

"A little worse than I thought....but still underrated...."

Last time I reviewed Heroes of the Lance, I gave it a 5. I was actually enjoying it. However, the more I played it, the more I hated it. To me, HOTL is a ''roller coaster game'', meaning sometimes you like it, and sometimes you hate it. For most people, HOTL is a terrible game. I personally think this game had a lot going for it, but many elements were missing to make this a well-rounded RPG.

HOTL is rated one of the worst video games ever made. I disagree with this - I have played worse. I really have no idea why people think this game is that bad. Sure, it isn't a masterpiece, but trust me, I have played worst.

I really don't know when HOTL was released. I never bother to check the title screen for some reason (I guess I was too excited to play the game...just kidding...) When get past the title screen, you enter the wonderful world of HOTL...

Let's start with the graphics: the graphics, for the most part, are bad. Some of the backgrounds, however, are very nice. Each character looks different, which is a good thing. The portraits of the characters are pretty good, too. This game is missing a lot of color. Everything seems so dull and boring. But, for the most part, you can always tell where you are on the screen and where the enemies are.

The music, to me, is actually pretty addictive, but it seems to get annoying after a while. For those who complain about this, remember, there is something on the television called ''Volume Control'' which allows you to turn down the amount of noise coming out of your television speaker. Put some music you like in your CD player or something and you won't complain anymore. As for sound effects....HOTL attempts to add voices....and they aren't that great....but they are pretty funny to listen to!

The controls take a while to get used to. When you go up to an enemy, you can hit them anywhere buy using the d-pad. This is hard at first...but I got the hang of it...

The gameplay is different. Basically, you control eight heroes through a dungeon, but there are many different paths you can take. Like most RPG/Adventures, you can pick up items, fight enemies, use magic, and explore the dungeon. You can switch characters, each with their own strengths and weaknesses. I find it pretty fun at times. Unfortunately, HOTL is a slow paced game, and it might get boring after a while watching your character move like a snail. Here's a great feature: you can save anytime you want, and there are three save slots.

There are plenty of multiple paths...so there is defiantly some replay value. I find it fun killing midget-imps with swords, too...I never get board of that!

It is no joke that the challenge in HOTL is hard. It is sometimes hard to control and the enemies can be a real pain. I haven't beat it yet, or will I probably ever, but like I said, killing imps has become a hobby of mine. I love the sound it makes when they blow up!

HOTL is not a good game, nor is it a horrible one. If more people actually play this game for more than 5 minutes, maybe they would actually enjoy it, too. I gave HOTL a 4 because even though the game is worst than I thought, it is certainly underrated even when it shouldn't be.

Reviewer's Score: 4/10, Originally Posted: 02/26/01, Updated 02/26/01