Eye of the beholder 2
Original RPG’s were usually not very graphic and it wasn’t until dungeon master that you could easily move and interact with items using your mouse. Eye of the beholder was released shortly after that and it improved the graphics as well as incorperating the wellknown AD&D rulebook and it was a smash hit so a sequel was inevitable. Eye of the beholder 2: The legend of Darkmoon once again lets you control a party of four and this time you are given an assignment by the archmage Khelban to investigate the temple of Darkmoon. You will face countless monsters, traps and puzzles on your way to find out what exactly is brewing in the depths of the temple.
You can start the game directly by using the quickstart party but you can also opt to create new characters or transfer your party from the previous game. Transferring the party has definate advantages if you went far in the prequel because you will have powerfull items which will help you in your quest, the advantage is welcome but it’s not necessary. The party starts in a forest right outside the temple which is filled with vicious wolves but it can be helpfull to scout around as you might find some usefull items. Soon you’ll find the entrance to the temple and when you enter you are greeted by two friendly priests but all is not lost as people have gone missing and you should not trust anyone. Once you get into the temple it soon becomes clear that it is merely a front for much sinister happenings and your task is to find out what exactly is going on and to put an end to it once and for all.
The interface used by the game is exactly the same as with the previous game with a large part of the screen taken up by the first person view. Your party is shown on the right and there is enough space for up to six party members so when you come across people who are friendly they can join you in your quest, you can even bring back the dead if you find a complete set of bones and let them join your party! Each character has two action icons which will contain the most used items such as swords and shields and for your casters a holy symbol or a spellbook. Most items are simply used by rightclicking on them when they are in an action slot so swinging blades is a simple matter of pressing a button. Spells are a bit harder as clicking them will open up a spellbook and you have to select one to cast it, in the heat of action this can be a bit annoying but after a while you become used to it. In accordance to AD&D rules you must memorize or pray for spells while resting so it’s a good idea to rest often which will also mend your wounds. You cannot rest while monsters are nearby but you can always backtrack to an area you already cleared so usually it’s not much of a problem. Each characters has an inventory for regular items as well as wearable/useable items like armor and weapons. Wearing these will directly affect your statistics and you would do well to check out any items you find to see if they are better than your current gear.
This sequel to eye of the beholder is much like it predecessor but the game itself is much larger in scope as well as more difficult than the first one. However it also inherits some flaws like the ability to shoot an arrow and then run in front of it which will cause damage to you and the area spells are not very well implemented often hitting you as well. These are things caused by the interface however and after a while you do get accustomed to them. The graphics are somewhat improves and monsters now have more animation but they still walk rather sluggish and unlifelike. Puzzles are not very difficult and usually involve levers and pits but some later ones require items as well, this can cause problems because if you throw away a seemingly useless item you might get stuck later in the game. It’s small things like these that stop the game from getting top marks but overall the game is very good and definately the best in the series.
Overal rating: 8.5/10
This game was released for two systems here are some notes:
| Amiga | Released in 1992. This is very close to the DOS version but is has slightly toned down graphics and ofcourse some loading times. |
| DOS | Released in 1991. |
| Date added | Mar-31-2006 19:41 |
| Name | Eye of the beholder 2 |
| Developer | Westwood |
| Publisher | SSI |
| First released | 1991 |
| Genre | RPG |
