Baldur's Gate II: Shadows of Amn

Every World has conflict.

Good and evil. Friend and foe.

Safety and danger. In Baldur's Gate II: Shadows of Amn, you'll find yourself between these factions.

This epic sequel to the Roleplaying Game of the Year will immerse you in a world of intrigue, adventure and fierce combat where your ability to discern the difference between these sides - with the assistance of steel and spell - determines your fate. Set in the Forgotten Realms campaign setting, Baldur's Gate II is the most stunning Advanced Dungeons and Dragons game to date.

Some time after the events described in Baldur's Gate, the protagonist and his friends Imoen, Minsc and Jaheira have been captured by an elven mage called Jon Irenicus. His intentions and connection to the heroes unknown, Irenicus conducts experiments on them, holding them in cages somewhere in his vast underground complex.

During his absence, the heroes manage to escape, and soon find themselves in the city of Athkatla in the country of Amn, where they confront Irenicus. However, at that moment several wizards arrive and arrest both Irenicus and Imoen for unlicensed use of magic.

The first task at hand is to raise the money needed to rescue Imoen, before facing Irenicus again and unraveling his true goals. Baldur's Gate II: Shadows of Amn is a party-based role-playing game using the AD&D rules.

The basic gameplay is similar to that of its predecessor: the player navigates a party of up to six active combatants over isometric environments, conversing with non-playable characters using branching dialogue, and fighting enemies in real-time, free-movement combat that can be paused to issue specific orders to the characters. World traveling now occurs by selecting locations on a map rather than exploring wilderness areas to reach the destination.

However, the game world is larger than in the previous game, with more individual locations to visit and side quests to perform. Being a direct sequel to Baldur's Gate, the game lets the player control stronger, higher-level characters from the onset.

The main character can also be imported from the previous installment. Three new classes (sorcerer, monk, and barbarian) are available along with those that were present in the original game.