Atari Neverwinter Nights 2

After a three-year hiatus, Neverwinter Nights returns to the PC and, as you'd expect from a game that traces its pedigree back to the 1998 classic Baldur's Gate, the Dungeons & Dragons licence is used to maximum effect.

The game kicks off by introducing the storyline, which is the usual tale of battles, evil spirits, daemons and ancient relics from a war fought long ago. Naturally, you're soon swept up in the story and despatched 'on a desperate mission to Neverwinter to unearth the secrets of the relic'.

While the basic premise of the story isn't anything startlingly original, the plot is reasonable, and sees you rise from humble Harborman to epic hero. You begin by defining your character, including its race, sub-race, class and skills, and you can customise its appearance too.

The story is linear, but you're left to follow your own moral compass, and your actions (be they good or evil) shape how the game evolves and how other characters, including your own party members, react to you.

As you travel across the realm, you'll meet other travellers who want to join your party, ranging from an aggressive but friendly dwarf through to an irritating spell caster. Party members can either help or hinder, depending on the situation, but they're essential for you to advance beyond the first map.

RPG games have traditionally been regarded as the domain of hardcore gamers, but titles such as The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion changed this and brought RPG gaming to the masses in a dumbed-down format. Neverwinter Nights 2, however, is pitched at the hardcore player. If you don't know the difference between a Bard and a Barbarian, or Chaotic Good and Lawful Evil, then you'll find it tough going. The clear and concise manual helps to indoctrinate newbies but, honestly, who reads the manual?

The combat system is simple and involves defining who hits whom and with what weapon, and then watching the swords, spells and sparks fly (all with top-notch special effects). Every action is determined, in true D&D style, with a roll of a dice, modified by a variety of factors, including your (and your enemy's) innate skills, acquired talents, weapons and armour.

The AI could be more sophisticated, however, because sometimes your party members attack any enemy in sight, including those that you didn't want to antagonise at that precise moment. Also, unlike the vast, open maps featured in Oblivion, the Neverwinter Nights 2 game world consists of relatively small areas that you can't move between seamlessly.

Despite its faults, Neverwinter Nights 2 is an excellent RPG, with strong character development, decent combat and a solid plot. The release of a design toolkit means that community-developed add-ons will keep this game alive long after you complete the initial single-player campaign.

Neverwinter Nights 2 isn't a groundbreaking game by any stretch of the imagination; rather, it's an evolution of a tried and tested game genre to a sophisticated level. As such, it will enthral lovers of old-fashioned RPGs.