Neverwinter Nights: Hordes of the Underdark

The Good
This Add-On is really worth its money, especially if you compare it to the first Add-On. This time, you can feel that Bioware tried to push their belated Aurora Game-Engine to its limits. You can now control 2 henchmen and more, depending on the story. You have access to each henchmen's inventory and you can give him clear orders, as not to help you open locked doors or to not cast any spells. You get to control small bands of fighters in a scene where your city is besieged by evil forces.

The story is another glorious point in this Add-On. It still cannot reach the level of quality Baldur's Gate had, or the wicked jokes of Planescape Torment, but you can see that they really tried and Bioware did a good job. The story is dramatic and has more than one exciting turning point.

I would definitely say, everyone who already owns Neverwinter Nights, can safely grab this game from the shelf. Everybody else should probably save their money for upcoming RPG titles.

The Bad
You can really see how old the Aurora Engine is. The graphics are not the best you can have, but Role-playing games usually don’t have high-end graphics. The in-game cut scenes are not helping the atmosphere of the game at all. All interaction with your henchmen happens through the normal dialogues, so it is very frustrating to give orders to them. Also, Bioware still does not give the player direct control over his party members.

The Bottom Line
Hordes of the Underdark is the second Add-On to BioWare's Role-playing Game Neverwinter Nights. It is based on the famous Pen&Paper Role-playing Rules of Dungeons and Dragons' third edition. You create a hero from 7 races and 11 classes. In addition to that, you can also choose from 6 prestige classes, which give you special bonuses, once you meet certain prerequisites. For example, you can now take your Wizard and turn him into a Pale Master, making him a strong necromancer who controls legions of undead minions or you can turn him into a Red Dragon Disciple, gaining the ability to spit fire upon your enemies. The game will give you 20 hours of gameplay, but you may want to play it more than once, as your game experience changes due to your chosen character. Additionally, there are over 50 new feats and over 40 new spells, for every Neverwinter Nights fan, who just can't get enough.