Ultima Collection

The Good
1. They packaged everything up neatly for a very low price. 2. They included slow down programs so you can play the games properly. 3. They added a link that makes Ultima VII work! 4. They added interviews with Richard Gariott.

The Bad
What's wrong with this collection? There's something wrong with this collection?

The Bottom Line
Your 2nd chance to get the earlier Ultimas.

The Good
With this amazing package you get Akalabeth (Richard's first game) and ultima I-VIII. Every PC should have the ultima collection. Im not going to review each game for it will take to long. But for just a recap ultima is one of most popular long running CRPG's in history. The series ran for 2 decades which started out as white lines in zip lock bags to a detailed and simulated world. In the package, it also includes interviews with Richard Garriott explaining each ultima game and a utlima atlas.

The Bad
Their are a couple things that bothered me in this collection. First is that they didn't include Ultima Underworld 1 and 2 or Savage Empire and Martian Dreams. they didn't put any midi music on the old ultima games and ultima VII and VIII won't run on windows. But ultima fans made programs(exult) and patches that makes sound possible and ultima VII and VIII run on windows. Another thing that bothered me is that they had the remake of Ultima I I would prefer the old black and white graphics since I like to play the originals.

The Bottom Line
So if you never played an ultima game before, I suggest you buy this collection and experience the awesome land of Brittania.

The Good
This is a collection of what are possibly the most influential CRPG's ever created. The games are presented in their entirety and unaltered form (Ultima I, however is the 1987 rerelease version for the PC, not the 1980 Apple II version).

Most of them will run straight from a DOS window while in Windows so start-up is a snap; simply load the game from your Start menu. Origin has also built MoSlo into batch files for all but three of the titles and has it pre-configured so they will work on modern systems immediately after installation. They behave well, for the most part. Ultima VI even played its music through my year-1999 sound card!

I did not have the priviledge of playing these great games when they first came out. Finally, I can know what made the Ultima series the legend it is today.

The Bad
Even with MoSlo, some of the older games, namely Ultima II and III, run a little fast (I am using a Pentium III computer). You may need to tweak the speed settings in order to make these games playable. Unfortuntately, the documentation included for MoSlo is quite complicated and may be downright indecipherable to the layman.

I also experienced problems with Ultima VII and VIII which will not run from within windows. These require you to restart your computer in DOS mode and some additional configuration. I have yet to be able to get either of these games to run properly, which is a shame.

The Underworld games are not included in the package.

The Bottom Line
Despite the quirks with some of the games, this collection is pure gold. Whether you are, like me, discovering these classic games for the first time or reliving treasured memories, this is retro-gaming at it's finest. Those who have been spoiled by today's graphics and bells & whistles might be a little dejected, but if you can get past that it is truly a worthwhile experience.