Baldur's Gate opens again
Interplay announce add-on pack for hit role-playing game Baldur's Gate II
One of the best role-playing games of last year, Baldur's Gate II : Shadows of Amn built on the success of the original game while fixing most of its niggling problems. It's perhaps not surprising then that the hit game has now spawned an official add-on, as well as a soon-to-be-released DVD version and Collectors Edition. Subtitled Throne of Bhaal, the newly announced mission pack raises the game's experience cap to eight million, which will allow players to reach an awe-inspiring level 40, with all the attendant new spells and abilities which that entails.
Following on from the example set by Tales of the Sword Coast, the expansion pack for the original Baldur's Gate, Throne of Bhaal will allow you either to pick up where you left off at the end of Shadows of Amn or to start out again, threading its own story and quests in amongst those of the main game. The pack will add several new locations for you to explore, including the dungeon of Watcher's Keep, the city of Saradush, a fortified monastery, and an underdark fortress. There will also be another character kit in the form of the wild mage, "a powerful new character able to cast spells with very unpredictable results". The add-on should ship some time this summer, so role-playing fanatics and tree huggers everywhere should start saving their gold pieces now.