Baldur's Gate: Dark Alliance casts you as one of three basic characters: an elf sorceress, a human archer, or a dwarf fighter. From there, you're set free inside a huge Dungeons & Dragons world replete with dungeons, forests, ice caves, and much more. Naturally, it's all filled to the brim with horrible monsters, wicked traps, treasures, and fabled magical weapons. As you go, you're constantly rewarded with new weaponry, new monsters to fight, and experience points you can put into your character stats to grow even more powerful. You can swap equipment in an inventory "paper doll" screen; those changes will be reflected in your onscreen character, so you'll start with simple weapons and a drab appearance, and you'll end up a big, mean superhero at the conclusion.

The graphics are simply wonderful, and the controls are accurate, responsive, and fun to use--which is necessary for the constant hacking and slashing required. The game is all the more fun when you recruit a buddy and play the game in cooperative mode. --Bob Andrews

Pros:

• Fast, furious fun with great graphics
• It's even more fun with a friend!

• Might disappoint PC Baldur's Gate fans looking for something deeper