Champions of Krynn

The Good
Champions of Krynn was my first entry into the Dragonlance world. It was also one of my first Gold Box games. Even though I didn't have prior Dragonlance experience, the game got me RIGHT into the world, enough so that when I did get around to reading the Dragonlance novels, I kept thinking "Hey, they took this from Champions of Krynn. Er, wait." The included manual and rulebook were superb.

The real meat of the game is very nicely balanced, I never had a really difficult area where I had to pass in order to progress the game. The characters can be fairly detailed and some parts of the game allow the character to have their own encounters, such as a Knight Of Solomnia meeting the ghost of an ancient knight, or a elven character meeting kin. This adds a lot of character to the game, as well as spark the imagination. Also included is the chance to meet characters from the novels, not just as cardboard-cutouts, but as actors in the same grand quest.

The storyline is quite good, if a little formulaic, and well-fleshed out throughout the entire game - each step (and corresponding city) is original and different from the others, so that each one is a great experience and a joy to play through.

The engine used is fairly powerful, with good menu-driven options in most areas that don't interfere with what you're trying to do at the moment. Combat is, for such a combat-heavy game, surprisingly fun. Even random encounters were resolved fairly quickly and enjoyably.

The Bad
The storyline to follow is rather linear, as opposed to the select-a-quest system in Pool of Radiance. This can be a little restrictive at times, but as I said, the storyline is quite well-rounded.

My only other quibble with Champions of Krynn is that some areas simply threw random encounter after random encounter at the player, which bogged down play and can make one very easily frustrated with trying to make progress in the story.

The Bottom Line
I knew, maybe halfway through Champions of Krynn, that I would love it forever. And I was right. It's the kind of game that immediately becomes a classic, with oodles of character and Dragonlance elements, plus an epic story that kept you guessing, and when you were done, got you to play it all over again.

The Good
Everything about this game is good. It was the first of the Dragon Lance series from the SSI Goldbox Sets and it was given a warm welcome by me and my AD&D gaming buddies.

First off, there are two moons that orbit the world of Kyrnn. Depending on how the moons are place in the sky, it effects your mages and magic. Also there is a new currency in Krynn, steel. Any new little changes can be a good one.

Basically this game is very similar to the Forgotten Realms series except for the little differences between the two worlds. The game's gameplay and interface are almost identical to the other SSI Goldbox games. Champions of Kyrnn is challenging enough to keep you busy for a long time. Had a high replay value to it as well. Another cool addition is the new race native to Kyrnn, Kender.

The Bad
Nothing really! I enjoyed the game from start to finish.

The Bottom Line
I felt satisfied after buying it and winning the game. I played it over at least 3 times. Definitely worth a try for SSI Goldbox AD&D game lovers.

The Good
- The first Title of SSI-RPGs using the same engine, that was also the Base of "Champions of Krynn" was "Pools of Radiance". It was a great breakthrough in ComputerRPG-Gaming: Good use of the AD&D-Licence, Nice graphics (at least for the time it was released) and mainly the still challenging tactical-combat system. "Champions of Krynn" has all of this and more: A very nice story that drives the player to continue, fascinating places to explore and, because of this, a lot of atmosphere.

The Bad
There has always been some limitations to the "goldbox"-games by SSI: The player has to accept, that acting freedom is a bit limited in some spots. Of course the graphics arent good anymore.

The Bottom Line
Classic RPG released by SSI in 1990 containing a good character and a great combat-system.