At this point Icewind seems right on track to deliver an RPG adventure that is worthy of following on the success of Baldur's Gate and Planescape. However, there are a few notable points that should be addressed but nothing that should seriously impair the experience. The AI can be quite good but like in most RPGs, hordes of goblins and trolls will attack without warning and then proceed to fight to the last man, even after the situation has turned from disastrous to hopeless. Often these races are described as cowardly and without honor, so why do they choose to fight to the death in a hopeless situation?
The other notable problem is that the game can be difficult to manage with a party of six in a single player setting. There is just far too much to do, and the fact that Icewind is more focused on action rather than interaction can present a bit of a dilemma for players. The game is in set in real-time rather than with turn-based sequences such as a game like Fallout so combat can be quite chaotic. Players do have the option of pausing the game to issue individual orders, and the space bar will pause/un-pause the action. However it would have been nice if there were the option to toggle from real-time to turn-based sequences, especially when battling something tougher than a random party of goblins! Furthermore, it can be confusing when the party is mixed with magic users and fighters, when players want to cast spells, change weapons and move.
Far too often the individual characters seem to crowd together and the seriously wounded character doesn't get a chance to get out of the fray before being killed. That moment to retreat and use a healing potion would be vastly appreciated at that time!
Overall however, Icewind should provide hours of epic adventuring in the distant frigid lands while battling a great evil and numerous minions. The settings are exotic while the storyline tells of a compelling and enthralling quest, worthy of many a late night when the game comes out later this year.
Enid Burns
Contributing Editor