Dungeon Siege
(Macsoft)

Long a hit on the PC, so much so that a sequel is being done, Dungeon Siege came to the Mac a few months back. It was, for once, well worth the wait. This is an extremely competent RPG-lite in the mode of Diablo II. It is similar but enough different to be above the normal rash of clones that come out after a hit has been released. A competent RPG player can actually do rather well with this game without having to resort to cheats and walkthroughs. It is linear, but there are so many side-dungeons and adventures it will keep you busy for a while.

As is normal for these sort of games, you are in a war-ravaged land fighting against an evil bent on raising an even worse evil. As you travel through the land you meet various NPCs who are willing to join your band of the brave, for a price. Your party can number as high as eight and it behooves one to continuously update your party, hiring more competent people as your foes increase in strength.

Unlike Diablo II, the game actually gets easier as it progresses. I found the end of game baddie rather easy to kill, which was most surprising. Granted, I endeavored to go on as many side adventures as possible to build up my treasury and skills. Thankfully, it is not necessary to do all the quests to proceed through the game, although it is wise to do most. Some are just rather pointless and dull. The storyline is a bit weak, but then again, how many games have decent plots these days?

Your character progresses in whatever skill you choose to use. It is not necessary to choose your trade at the beginning; you become competent in whatever you do most. It is possible, to have several skills, as in both melee and ranged, or melee and magic, etc. This allows a certain flexibility in the game which eliminates some of the anal number crunching necessary in other RPGs. If you do something you get better at it, over time. Rather logical, donít you think? You can train your hirelings and companions in whatever skill you wish as well, especially early in the game. As with Diablo II, you may equip and make weapons decisions for your party, and gold is group owned. If I have one gripe in the game, it is that there are not enough traders in some areas, so you are stuck carrying around lots of loot. There are other places with a great deal of loot, nearby, and it pays to return to sell your excess stuff. Those who are really greedy can hire a pack-mule to carry your stuff. I preferred to turn my stuff into cash and ended the game with over 5 million in gold. Unlike many such games where you never have enough money, this game is just the opposite. I found it hard to spend much of our money. By the end we had the best kit we could use and had a great excess.