Demon's Winter - SSI/US Gold RRP œ24.99 At last - I've found an RPG I can really get to grips with. I've never been completely happy with ones I've tried before. I spent a lot of time on Alternate Reality but the non-appearance of the promised add-ons spoilt it for me and games like Bard's Tale had a lot of depth but I just found them too hard to persist with (though I keep threatening to dust them off and have another go). But Demon's Winter has all I could hope to see in an RPG; good story, atmosphere, adequate graphics, detailed play AND it seems to be biased ever so slightly towards the player and not the monsters, thus making it that bit easier to get started and bring your party up to a decent level. The story carries on from an earlier SSI game, Shards of Spring, taking place in the same area though 5,000 years after Shards, which unfortunately isn't available for the ST. In Shards of Spring, the story ended with the defeat of the demon Malifon, who was imprisoned in a volcano. Needless to say, 5,000 years of imprisonment has not made Malifon think kindly towards his human captors and he has been planning his revenge with the help of his minions. With the use of a spell, he has turned part of the land, Ymros, to winter and his hoards of followers have started causing chaos ready for their master's return. There's only one person who can stop this ..... (pause for fanfare) .... you and your trusty band of adventurers. By creating a group of 5 characters, you must explore the area, defeating the bad guys and increasing in power and experience till you are ready to tackle Malifon. The game comes on two disks, so, first things first, back them up. This is essential as disk 2 is the game disk which is left write-enabled during play. Next, create your characters. You can have a maximum of 5 and there are several races to chose from; human, elf, dwarf, dark elf or troll. Next, you must roll up the traits of speed, strength etc with a limited option to re-roll. Then you must decide the character's profession eg ranger, thief, wizard - 10 types in all including some unusual ones, such as visionary and scholar. Finally you must select the character's skills eg in weapons, magic, hunting. Each skill uses intellect points and each class has a limited list of skills to choose from in the initial stages up to a limit of the intellect points available. Later in the game, characters will get the opportunity to study and learn more skills though always at the cost of intellect points, the amount of which varies from class to class. For example, the skill of axe will cost a barbarian 1 point and a cleric 10 points with the other professions ranged between these two figures. It sounds very complicated to roll-up your characters but in practice, it is simplicity itself. So, you have your characters ready - let's go! The game starts by the village of Ildryn which has been destroyed by one of Malifon's parties of kobolds. The overhead view of the area shows the terrain-type as you move around; there are 7 types of terrain, from desert to tundra. Initial exploration will show another village, Seaside, close by, so a quick trip there is a good idea to buy weapons though these will not be ready for use until the charcaters are equipped in camp. There are several towns to visit, and in them you can find certain services; market place, inn, pub, healers, colleges, guilds, churches and docks. Not all are available in all towns. You can chat to other characters in the pubs which may gain you some useful information. Once your characters are ready to be advanced to the next level of experience, a trip to the Guild will gain them extra skill, strength, hit points etc. If a character's intellect is high enough, a trip to a college will enable him to study a new skill. Some characters start the game as priests or shamen of one of the 10 different gods in the game and may need to recharge their spiritual powers by praying in the correct temple or church at times so it is worth noting where these are. In fact, good mapping is essential to the game as the area is so large and it is quite easy to get lost, especially in the early stages or when you first enter a new area. Encounters with evil characters, whether they be dragons, kobolds, magic users, snakes or whatever, changes the overhead view of the area into a more detailed view with each character shown as an individual. The fight takes place as a series of rounds till one side wins and each individual has a certain number of points to use in each round, made up of movement, attack, dodging or using magic. Experience, gold and sometimes weapons or armour are the reward to the victor (make sure it's you!) Once you feel strong enough, you can take your party into one of the underground areas where greater riches are to be won and you will also gather more clues for your quest if you can avoid the traps and survive the fights which are considerably harder. And when you feel REALLY confident and you're rich enough, head for the docks and buy a ship to explore some of the many islands off the coast of the main playing area. On the high seas, you'll be attacked by pirates and these fights are, to me, far more tricky than land-based battles. All in all, though the graphics are basic, the atmosphere generated by the game is considerable and if you're not careful, you'll find yourself hooked. I don't know how long it will take to complete the game but I DO know it will be a most entertaining time. I can't wait to get back to it! Sue