Origin System’s Ultima series is to the role playing gaming world what the Sierra On-Line’s King’s Quest series is to adventure gamers. This is a very powerful and influential series, beginning early in the era of personal computer gaming and continuing on into modern day plays. Ultima Underworld 2: Labyrinth of Worlds was developed by Looking Glass Technologies, and is the direct sequel to Ultima Underworld: The Stygian Abyss. It was released in the early nineties, and per usual, it is tied very strongly to its predecessor and does a good job of setting up following instalments.
In this instalment of the Ultima series, the Avatar is back again as the protagonist of the game. Users may remember that the Avatar was the star of one of the few role playing games where the entire plot was dictated by the user’s decisions and is ability to be a morally upstanding and ethical individual. The game begins with a feast in celebration of the defeat of the Black Gate and the rebuilding of the world of Britannia. Lord British invites all of the regions greatest warriors to the celebration, and while they are distracted within the castle walls, Mayor Patterson (one of the Guardian’s lackeys) creates a black dome of rock that swallows the castle and imprisons everyone within it. With the heroes
of the realm trapped, the Guardian can invade Britannia without impediment. The Avatar is desperate to escape and fight the Guardian and looks below the castle in the sewers for some escape. While he finds no exit, he does find an unusual crystal that was a by-product of the Guardian’s spells. It can be used to travel to realms held by the Guardian. With that, the Avatar is off, hoping to travel the world, free the innocents, and find a way back to Britannia to release his land from evil.
As one could guess, this game is positively gigantic. Britannia is always a large map in the Ultima games, but now the Avatar has numerous other lands to explore in an effort to vanquish the Guardian. He will see previously unknown things in strange and exotic lands as he travels and forms a party to battle the forces of evil. Each land that he frees is somehow tied to the Guardian and will get him closer to his goals, all the while raising his experience and powers. The game engine is the same as the initial game, and the interface is virtually identical. Labyrinth of Worlds is a true sequel and the user will find no problem following into the quest and reward cycle of the game. Like the others in the series, this is a great play, filled with magic, fantastic creatures, and exotic locations. It is a sure thing as a download.
