Eye of the Beholder II: The Legend of Darkmoon

The Legend of Darkmoon is the sequel to Eye of the Beholder and, for many fans, the best game in the trilogy. The archmage Khelben Blackstaff sends your party to investigate strange events around the mysterious Temple Darkmoon, and what starts as a simple scouting mission quickly grows into something far more dangerous. It keeps the real-time dungeon crawling of the first game but adds much more story, atmosphere and variety.

Gameplay

You can import your party from the first game or create a new one using the AD&D rules, with the same range of races and classes, including multi-class combinations. Up to two more characters can join you along the way.

The core is the same real-time, first-person, grid-based exploration, but with several improvements:

• More story: Conversations, cutscenes and characters you meet along the way give the adventure much more narrative than the first game.
• More varied locations: The adventure begins outdoors in a snowy forest before moving into the temple, catacombs and towers, each with its own look and challenges.
• Tougher puzzles and enemies: The dungeon is bigger and more demanding, with clever traps, hidden passages and powerful monsters.
• Higher-level play: Stronger spells and better equipment make your party feel truly heroic.

Survival elements like food and resting remain, and there’s still no automap, so mapping by hand is recommended.

Verdict

The Legend of Darkmoon is a clear improvement on the first game, with more story, more variety and a more satisfying adventure. The lack of an automap and some very hard battles make it demanding today, but it’s one of the best dungeon crawlers of its era.