"Evil Takes Charge"

Introduction
Dungeon Keeper – Evil Takes Charge, for once

Dungeon Keeper by Bullfrog boasts a new kind of gameplay ever. Normally, in war simulation games, you play the goody side. Now, you are the baddie. Yes, finally, you can do whatever you want with those little heroes that invade your precious underground home. You can torture them, starve them, or just kill them straightaway. This is, Dungeon Keeper…

Gameplay: 8
Dungeon Keeper I promote new gameplay than any other game! Your creatures have a mind of their own, and they will walk around the entire dungeon! When they are hungry, they will find your Hatchery, also known as the canteen where fresh, lively chicks roam. They will also complain when they don’t get what they want, plus, they get money as well! Yes, money from YOU. They are working for you; do you think you will get free labor? However, there are still your little faithful Imps that will never betray you. Heck, they are made from YOU. Obviously they won’t betray you, plus, these little critters are fast, diligent and don’t need survival needs.

Audio: 7
Though the dungeon normally is filled with cranking noises of machines, Imps screaming, humans’ yelp of agony, there are others as well. It gets extremely noisy during battles, as yells and war cries could be heard. Lightning bolts zapping here and there, hacking and slashing away. Really suits the atmosphere, I suppose. Goody heroes who get tortured under your order screams as well, you can zoom in to take a look if you are that sadistic. But, that’s what you get for being the baddie, right?

Graphics: 6
Here’s where Dungeon Keeper totally slacks in. The graphics are pretty block-headed, and titles are square. However, they provide average game play for the frequent gamer and don’t hurt the eye a bit. It only so happens during battle that the graphics seem to clip a bit and changes. Making it confusing, seriously. Other than that, the chicks are clear, the Bile Demons are cool, and there’s nothing much else. The best part of Dungeon Keeper is able to possess your creatures! Now, you are IN the creature itself! You can walk, move, and attack and cast your spells or special abilities! You can possess anything, except your enemies. However, there’s a slight disadvantage though. Because when you possess a creature, you can’t kill chicks and eat them. So, the creature may get extremely hungry after you take a 3-D tour of your dungeon. One thing to note though, the map gets screwed after you de-possess the enemy.

Replayability: 9
Dungeon Keeper is challenging, but not extremely hard. Because of this, continuing the game is very addictive. Plus, you get to learn more about your creatures as you advance; there are more heroes to torture and more Horned Reapers to find! Isn’t that amazing?

Buy or Rent?: Buy!
This is a BUY for most war simulation lovers! You’ll find a serious twist and you’ll get hours and hours of fun game play! However, for war simulation haters, you could rent this game and try it out. After trying it, and if you like it, get it obviously! At the same time, read my Dungeon Keeper II review to check which one you prefer!

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 11/16/02, Updated 03/01/03