Out of every great story, a sequel must come. In the case of the fantasy role-playing game Baldur’s Gate, a great story spawned an expansion pak, Tales of the Sword Coast, as well as a sequel, Baldur’s Gate II: Shadows of Amn.

If you finished the original Baldur’s Gate, you’re probably wondering what’s going to happen next. (No, we won’t spoil the story; you can go to the official Baldur’s Gate II site to find out more.) At the beginning of the sequel, you have a choice: will you be friend or foe? Will you create a legend of heroic proportions, or will you destroy the Forgotten Realms?

We bet you can’t wait to load this one on your Macintosh computer and find out.

Like a Great Novel
“It’s even more engrossing than the first story,” says Diane Zammit, president of MacPlay. “And it picks up at a point where anyone, including people who skipped the first game, can join in without any prior knowledge.”

That’s a key point to remember if you’re wondering whether or not to take the plunge into Baldur’s Gate II: You don’t need to have made your way through the estimated 150 hours of gameplay in the original. You just need to have the fortitude to spend about 250 hours on this one, assuming you want to finish the subquests too.

But it’s worth it, according to Zammit, who says that “the story is much more immersive than the original. Characters interact with the world and other characters to provide a more convincing role-playing experience.”

She adds: “I think there are quite a few potential RPG gamers on the Mac who haven’t quite found the RPG that would offer them a graduated gaming experience with a storyline this compelling. This game is truly addictive — just like a great novel.”

The Next Level
Of course, that was the intent of the designers.

“Our goal with Baldur’s Gate II was to ensure that we exceeded Baldur’s Gate I in every respect possible — design and story, programming and features, and art and animation,” explains Greg Zeschuk, who co-produced the game with Ray Muzyka, with whom he also shares CEO duties at BioWare Corporation.

“We’re really proud of what the development team accomplished,” he adds. “I think that sentiment applies particularly to the sound and music. When you add great sound and music to a sharp-looking game, it makes it look even better, often to the point that it takes it to the next level.”

Interesting Relationships
When you begin the game, you can import your character from the original Baldur’s Gate or create a new one. If you choose the former, you will have the opportunity to choose one of the new kits that allow your character to specialize in a professional subclass (see the sidebar). As in the first game, you start your journey alone, although up to five non-player characters (NPCs) can accompany you at any given time.

There are 16 specific NPCs who can join your party (and many, many more who can’t but whom you can interact with), including such familiar faces as Imoen, Jaheira, and Edwin. You’ll find that the NPCs can have some very interesting relationships with your character.

“We’re particularly happy with how the romances turned out,” Muzyka says. “To put it in perspective, any one of the more complicated characters in Baldur’s Gate II had more personal scripting than all of the characters from the original Baldur’s Gate combined.”