A Family Affair
You wish you had the typical family issues, like the uncle who gets drunk and says embarrassing things during holiday dinners. If Zeus read your family history, he’d probably say: “Wish I thought of that.”
In Baldur’s Gate, you defeated Sarevok, another child of Bhaal who killed your adoptive father, the wizard Gorion. Sarevok knew his lineage and embraced it in the hope of becoming the next Lord of Murder by starting a war between Baldur’s Gate and Amn. You thwarted his evil plans and defeated him, but the truth behind your birth hangs heavy on you.
In Baldur’s Gate II: Shadows of Amn, you traveled to the Abyss and back, found yourself in the middle of a guild war, and defeated Irenicus, the mysterious man who imprisoned you at the beginning of the game. Nightmares plagued you throughout the journey, nightmares borne out of the horror that is your bloodline.
In MacPlay’s Baldur’s Gate II expansion pack Throne of Bhaal, which uses official Advanced Dungeons and Dragons rules, your story comes to an end. You can either embrace your dark roots and rule over the Forgotten Realms with an iron fist or reject them and possibly die in the process.
On the Road AgainThere are many in Amn who would like to use your innate powers for their own twisted purposes, and even those who would like to see you dead, such as the Bhaal spawn hunter you encounter early in Throne of Bhaal. Where you start the story depends on whether or not you finished Shadows of Amn, but we recommend completing the previous chapter so that you can fully appreciate this rich tale. Doing so will also allow you to import your entire party from Shadows of Amn, which means you’ll start the adventure with more powerful characters.
At its heart, Throne of Bhaal is about the choices you must make during your journey. Every decision you make drives the tale in a certain direction. The cumulative effect of all your decisions dictates which of several possible endings occurs at the conclusion of the story. Your character’s alignment — there are nine to choose from, spanning the spectrum from lawful good to chaotic evil — also affects the path you take; you’ll have greater success if you play your character according to her alignment.
The role-playing aspect also carries over into the relationships between the characters in your party. Some of them may not get along with each other, and many of them undergo personal changes during your quest; those changes could lead to them leaving your party on their own or causing problems and forcing you to kick them out. Your character can also develop a romance with one of the other party members; how you respond to that person during conversations dictates where the relationship goes and which sub-plots may happen as a result. And like any other interaction in the game, romances can help dictate what happens at the end of the story.
No Time For Socializing
Of course, this isn’t The Sims, so don’t expect to spend all your time chatting with other characters. There are plenty of monsters to slay during your journey, and Throne of Bhaal features some of the nastiest ones you’ll find in a fantasy RPG. In addition to the usual orcs and goblins, you’ll encounter dragons, giants, golems and other vicious creatures. This expansion pack allows your character to amass up to 8 million experience points and reach 40th level, achievements that come in handy when you square off against a group of beholders.
As your character becomes more powerful, she’ll also have the opportunity to use better weapons and armor, thanks to the riches that the monsters leave behind after they die. In fact, you can only use magical weapons to harm some beasts, so take the time to explore every environment and pursue every sub-quest offered to you. And like Shadows of Amn’s Cromwell the Smithy, a creature named Cespenar, who says he’s your “butler,” can take magical items and combine them into even more powerful treasures.
Eventually, though, your character won’t even need such rare magical items once he gains the ability to become the Avatar of — Oops, we’ve revealed too much. We’ll just say that many twists and turns are in store as you complete the Baldur’s Gate saga and leave your mark on the Forgotten Realms. Whether its populace remembers you with fear or happiness is up to you.
Here There Be Dragons. These winged beasts aren’t too hard to kill; you just need a strategy.
Ring of Magic. Strange goings-on are afoot in the Forgotten Realms.
Something Wicked This Way Comes. Discover new places and new creatures.
System Requirements:
 | Baldur’s Gate II: Shadows of Amn required to play |
| Mac OS X version 10.1.5 or higher |
| 233MHz PowerPC G3 processor or higher |
| 256MB of RAM or higher |
If you liked this game, check out:
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