Following from the first Balders gate which was released on all formats in late 2002 which left the story unfinished, a sequal has been highly anticipated. Well now the wait is finally over as Balders Gate Dark Alliance returns to all formats. Take control over 5 very distinct new characters as you battle your way through hostile territories, dungeons and buildings.

Gameplay:
Starting a game of Balders Gate begins with the player choosing from five characters. Each one displaying different skills and abilities which you will have to read the manual to get a full explaination. The five characters are Barbarian, your typical tough melee fighting character. Cleric, a female knight who has some enhancing magic at her fingertips. Rogue, a tough dwarf who also is an expert thief. Monk A female elf whose magic is powerful as is her combative skills. Finally there is the Necromancer, an all out magical fighter armed at first with just a book and dagger.

All characters provide for varying gameplay styles and enough variety for players to experiment with. I opted to start with two different characters, the Necromancer and the Cleric and found that both experiences were quite different in terms of tactics and ways to tackle the hoards of enemies that are after your blood.

Combat primarily consists of simple hack and slash or use of heavy magic attacks. Viewed from a 3d top down view which can be rotated 360 degrees and slightly zoomed in for that extra touch of detail. Players will enter and fight their way through moody buildings and enemy infested forests etc with the sheer intent on killing everything that moves. There is a good reason for this because the players character development is based around experience points which determine a "level up". Leveling up in Balders Gate means the player is able to add points to various skills and abilities which ultimately will make their character more powerful.

Balders Gate 2 also features the option to upgrade your own weapons and armour. An excellent if a little complex at first addition to the series. With the use of valueable runestones and precious stones which can be plundered in the field or bought from a trader, you are able to experiment with different combinations to give your weapons and armour an edge over its non upgraded counterpart.

Playing Balders Gate 2 is very easy and simple as you explore the levels searching for items and killing. This simple appoach also is the games downfall to a certain degree, because appart from fighting new enemies in new locations the hack and slash element of the gameplay can get a little repetitive. Although all of the battles are in realtime there are not enough moves to make it more interesting. However if you are a player driven by the desire to keep on going until you are uber powerful where no one can stop you then continuous play is encouraged.

Another small niggle with the game is the level of difficulty which certainly has changed since the first game. The default setting is normal out of the usual easy, normal and hard settings. Starting a game on normal and after a few hours play you will begin to notice how easy the enemies are including some of the bosses. The necromancer and cleric I played as were cutting through enemies like a hot knife through butter. Thankfully the game allows you to take characters from one game and import them into new games, such as a new game set on hard difficulty after realising that normal was too easy for my character.

Graphics:
Graphically Balders gate 2 looks the same as the first game which is a good thing as the game displayed some excellent water and lighting effects. The locations themselves are also quite detailed and draw you in as you get involved with exploring. The top down viewpoint may also annoy some players as it can either make you feel removed or involved depending on what you are used to.I personally find the viewpoint to be excellent especially for scouting ahead a little. The ability to zoom in that little bit closer is nice but not always practical but a welcome touch all the same.

Sound:
Sound is very typical in Balders Gate 2 as there is only ever going to be the sound of death ringing through your ears. There are some nicely blended orchestral pieces and voice acting throughout which heighten the experience as you rip off heads and slice open stomachs followed by the clatter of armour to cold stone floors from fallen blood gurgling enemies. You get the point.

Longevity:
Balders Gate 2 is a game which feels longer than it probably is due to its repetitive nature. Although as I mentioned earlier the different character classes begs for multiple tries as well as unlocking hidden characters and difficulty. A two player co-op mode is supported which is nice as you and a friend can dish out double the damage yet share items. So if this type of game is your thing then you will definately get plenty of playtime out of it.

Round Up:
Overall Balders Gate 2 follows from the first game nicely. The inclusion of upgrades is great as is the mission based story line. The few negetive remarks I have made are purely down to personal preference as one players experience can differ from the next. I would recommend renting first if you are unsure but would say go for it if you liked the first game.

Pros:

• character classes
  
• simple gameplay
  
• mission based structure
  
• upgrades
  

  Cons:
  

  • Repetiton
    
  • lack of combat moves
    
  • Top down view may put some off