Dungeon Keeper II
Score: 70% ESRB: Mature Publisher: EA Games Developer: Bullfrog Media: CD/1 Players: 1 - 4 Genre: Strategy/ Online
Graphics & Sound: I must say that the graphics in Dungeon Keeper II are way better than the original. Even without the need for 3D acceleration, the game turned out to be very detailed. Unfortunately, I found that if there was a lot of action going on, the scrolling of the map became choppy and hard to keep up with. The sounds are basically the same as the original Dungeon Keeper. The screams, the chipping away of rocks, even the narrator’s voice are exactly the same. So needless to say, I wasn’t all that impressed with the sound portion.
Gameplay: Well, if you’ve had the chance to play DK, then not much has changed. But if you haven’t, here’s how DK2 works. You are the great horned demon. You’re given a certain amount of space where the center of your dungeon is surrounded by rocks and gold. You have to build rooms to accommodate your Imps, Wizards, Lizards, etc., by providing them with a lair to sleep in, a training room to become better fighters, a feeding room for obvious reasons... and that’s just to name a few. But don’t forget to collect gold while you’re building because you’ll need it to fund your building and you have to be able to pay everyone for their services. Some cool additions to the game were things like a jail where you could capture your enemies, wait until they die, and use their skeletons as part of your army. There is also a torture room and a casino so your little friends have a place to relax and gamble away their gold to you. In addition to the new rooms, Dungeon Keeper II offers things like new traps, new spells, and new creatures to do your every bidding. Each of your creatures benefits you in a different way. For example, your Imps allow you to build and maintain rooms, your Wizards study in the library to create spells, and your Lizards make great warriors. So all in all, your best bet is to go through the training and get informed about how and where to build rooms, what each creature does, and how each new option works and benefits you.
Difficulty: The game difficulty increases with every new level you achieve. For the first few levels, it’s pretty basic stuff -- building rooms, collecting gold, etc. But after about the fifth board, beware. Your enemies become a little more aggressive and harder to defeat.
Game Mechanics: Yeowsers! There’s a lot of stuff to remember in Dungeon Keeper II. It’s all point and click! So the only problem is remembering what icon does what and where the hell its located. This can become very frustrating when you’re in the heat of battle and you can’t find that damn spell you need!!! You also have the ability to control any one of your creatures in a first person view, which can help in your battles. Instead of a pointer, you get a hand to select your different options. This also allows you to punish your creatures by placing your hand over them and right clicking, thus backhanding them. Or if you left click, you can pick up a total of eight creatures and place them wherever your little heart desires. This comes in useful when you need to do battle or build a room and they’re on the other side of the dungeon.
-Paradox, GameVortex Communications AKA Ryan Whitten
Minimum System Requirements: P166 MMX, 32MB, 3D Software (No need for 3D Acceleration)   Test System: PII 233, 64MB, ATI 4MB 3D Video
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