Gothic II

One could easily describe the original Gothic��a free-form RPG that takes place in an intricately crafted fantasy prison��as Morrowind crossed with HBO��s Oz. After choosing a faction and fighting many orcs in tunnels, the nameless hero destroys the prison barrier, setting everyone free. Gothic II starts just weeks later, and it not only improves somewhat upon the previous game, but also opens up the game world.

Navigate this

One of the major problems with the original is how boring and linear it is after Chapter 1. Once you finish exploring the intriguing setting, you��re strapped into a traditional dungeon crawl, complete with orcs. While Gothic II has a similar structure��you explore the world and choose a faction, then progress through the main plot as a paladin, dragon hunter, or mage��it��s not as dull. There are more unique quests per faction this time, as well as better locations and enemies to hunt. Like in the previous game, NPCs have their own schedules, and, combined with the day-night cycle, the world feels less generic and more immersive than even Morrowind��s (although you can tell the voice-talent pool was small��it sounds like the same guy did six different voices).

Thankfully, you no longer need to do inane things like hold down Ctrl-Up to pick things off the ground. While keyboardcentric, the combat and exploration interfaces have been streamlined. Curiously, there��s no hotkey for health items; you either dig in your unsorted inventory for a health boost or edit the INI file for a hotkey. And when will Piranha Bytes learn that all PCs have mice? The inclusion of a mouse interface for the inventory would be welcome, since using the keyboard to sell and buy items feels more 1993 than 2003.

Broken hero

Despite its openness, the design leads to occasional scripting errors and omissions of blindingly obvious quest solutions. I��m told I need to pay someone 50 dollars, but because I fought him earlier, I can neither pay nor offer to pay. When I see mercenaries muscling a farmer, they treat me like a nobody, whether I��m indeed a nobody or a high-ranking mercenary. Scripting errors, like the game thinking you��ve killed four dragons when you��ve killed only three (leaving the fourth dragon invincible, so you��re unable to get his loot or XP), also mar the experience.

Combat, while a bit easier than in the first game, remains a chore when it comes to multiple enemies; use the standard MMO game trick of ��pulling�� an enemy or you��ll be gang tackled. Even when you��ve upped your weapon skills, it��s a chore to use your weapons, maneuver around enemies, or target different enemies with just the keyboard.

Despite all of this, I enjoyed Gothic II quite a bit. It significantly improves upon Gothic, and it��s an excellent game��once you learn to work with it. After all, what other RPG lets you hunt dragons and sell swamp weed?

Environments range from familiar forests to more remote mountains to even the old prison colony. And the game world is noticeably bigger.

Verdict

4 Stars

Better than the first, but still a little too wonky and foreign to be a classic.

Publisher: Atari

Developer: Piranha Bytes

Genre: RPG

ESRB Rating: M

Requirements: Pentium III 700, 256MB RAM, 2.2GB install, 32MB 3D card

Recommended Requirements: Pentium III 1.2GHz, 512MB RAM, 64MB 3D card

Multiplayer Support: None

Copyright © 2003 Ziff Davis Media Inc. All Rights Reserved. Originally appearing in Computer Gaming World.