Dungeons & Dragons: Eye of the Beholder

"Not the game I was expecting!"

I have been a big fan of D&D for a very long time... D&D original - 3.5. Mind you, I am not here to bash any version of D&D. I know how a lot of its players find each version to be some holy entity. I have played all versions of D&D from the beginning to 4.0. Finding D&D 2nd ed. the best of them.

Which brings us to Eye of the beholder, being a 2nd ed. title using the 3.5 rule set makes the game confusing and a bit lame. They added locations, shops and NPCs to the game that were not in the title in the first place... kind of turning the game into the lame olympics... every one is a winner. They also added a combat mode that is harsh with very poor GFX and time consuming. Of all the things they could have done to improve the game they did NOT add. Like in-game menus that describe items, weapons or any form of information. A lack of inventory control makes for equipping your characters a little annoying. Basic information describing what the skills do in the game would have been helpful too. Though most were obvious. Others were left questionable.

The dungeons are almost as they were in the original title in a visual sense. The monsters do not move until you are in the combat mode. However, should you see them before they attack, you have the option to attack them first via the menu or talk to them. At which point they will attack you anyway or send another group to attack you if you use some of the 3.5 rule options they added. The monsters auto attack if you come one square too close. Otherwise they stand there looking at you as you rest right in front of them. Random encounters can happen if you rest. (1/8 camps typically spawns a random encounter) Allowing for almost unlimited exp. But due to the level cap of 7 this would only kill your game fun. The game is also saved via the camp function, which can turn a quick turning of the game off into a nightmare when a random encounter happens and you really need to save and turn the game off.

If your a fan of D&D (any version). Give this a try, but do not spend too much for it. It is NOT worth it. You would be better off trying to find a real copy of Eye of the beholder for the PC or Sega CD.

Reviewer's Score: 3/10, Originally Posted: 03/06/09

Game Release: Dungeons & Dragons: Eye of the Beholder (US, 10/30/02)