Kaiv

This is the sequel to the first part of the Warriors of Ras series, Dunzhin. All games in this series are early graphical Roguelikes. The story is quite simple: Enter the mystical monster-infested dungeon Kaiv, slay monsters and grab treasures.

You explore the dungeon in a turn-based manner by entering commands in text adventure, like "MOVE NORTH" or "LIGHT TORCH". The commands may be abbreviated by one or two letters. You can also move several squares at once (like "MOVE EAST 3") to speed up your quest. Another very helpful command is "SPEED", which makes the game's messages go by faster. Your progress is hindered by traps (acid pools, slimey floors etc., some of which you can escape by quickly pressing a key), thieves who rob you, random teleports and, of course, by a variety of 24 different monsters, ranging from simple Zombies, Wolves or Dwarves up to Wyverns and Vampires.

The combat system makes the Warriors of Ras series stand out from other roguelikes: Apart from your total hit points, you and the monsters also have hit points and armor for each body party separately. If the hit points of one body part reach zero, you're dead. Each attack must be directed to one of the body parts, some of which are easier to hit than others. You may also "AIM" a hit (which costs some time, but makes the attack more likely to hit) or "FORCE" an attack (this makes it more difficult to hit, but increases the damage). This and the body parts result in a quite tactical combat -- you have to guess or find out the weak parts of your opponent and choose the right way of attacking.

Kaiv extends the originally quite simple game of Dunzhin by adding a shop at the dungeon entrance where you can equip yourself. You now also have a bigger variety of items like torches, crosses (against Vampires) and mirrors (against Gorgons), and you can also find magical items: several rings, wands or potions that improve your magical or physical protection or increase your fighting skills. You also need to take enough food and drink with you to prevent dying from hunger or thirst.

The difficulty level of the game is quite high with new characters -- you often die just by being hit once by a low-level monster or by stepping into some trap. The game is generous in allowing you to save your progress at any time.