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While you will need to learn how to fight monsters, you will also need to learn how to get along with neutral characters—NPCs. The game uses a system of dialogue choices for PC-NPC conversations—after an NPC makes a statement, you can choose from a menu of responses. What is rather interesting about Dale II is that certain menu options only appear if you meet certain requirements, such as being a Druid or having a high intelligence. Likewise, NPCs react to your choices differently based upon your skills and class—it is far easier to bully someone if your Intimidate skill is high, for example.

Overall Thoughts

Dale II is a rich, deep, and involving game set in D&Ds Forgotten Realms. The interface is well designed, and there is a great deal of variety and customizability to your characters. However, there is a lot to learn, and a lot to pick up. Fabulous choice if you enjoy RPGs, although you need to be prepared to spend a few hours learning the game if you are new to D&D or the Baldur’s Gate game engine.

Summarized Points

1. Uses 3rd Edition Dungeons & Dragons rules, and Baldur’s Gate engine
2. Control a party of 6 characters in real-time
3. Each character has a variety of skills, spells, and abilities, many of which you manually trigger
4. Average sound effects, music, and graphics
5. Battles can easily involve upwards of 20 figures on the screen at a time
6. Interface is very convenient, but takes considerable time to master
7. Numerous “hidden” options, both during conversation and adventuring—dialogue options that need to be unlocked and ingenuitive uses for skills add to replay

Overall Score: 75%