Dungeon Keeper
Sold Out		(DOS/Win95) (Retail) (DUNGKEEPPR)
Discontinued

Bullfrog Productions Ltd./Electronic Arts

Game

Ages 17 and up (Animated violence; blood & gore)

Evil Is Good

Your dungeon is dark and foul and slimy, just the way you like it. You've got a fully stocked torture room, a prison for your helpless captives, and a workshop filled with big uglies cranking out cogs for your war machine.

Now you're ready to find some good guys and club the smiles off their shining faces.

Switch your perspective: Look down from above using a 3-D isometric view, swoop in and possess your minion for first-person perspective and action, or survey your dungeon with an easy-to-read map.

Rotate your view: Zoom in, zoom out, rotate your world 360 degrees, shine your light source into the dark corners. When you're the boss, there's no place for goodness to hide.

Take on your friends: Modem and 4-player network multiplayer options... or pit yourself against computer-generated hordes.

Unveil hidden levels: Discover new areas to explore, nestled within the heart of your realm.

So Good of You to Come... And So Twisted of You To Stay

As the Dungeon Keeper, this is your home, too. And it's your business to take these creatures of darkness and hone them into screaming, frothing, clawing forces of destruction. You lure them in with food and the promise of dank and fetid places to sleep. You keep them in line with the back of your hand and the threat of dire consequences. You pit their scaly hides against the best that the Forces of Good can muster, and they die for you as they rip the steaming entrails out of the hapless heroes.

It's a degenerate and nasty job... and you love it.

Yes, home is where your heart is. In a box. Packed in salt.

Requirements:

Windows 95, or MS DOS 6.22 +, Intel Pentium or 100% compatible, 65 MB plus space for saved games, additional space required for DirectX and Windows 95 Swap file, 16 MB RAM, Quad speed (MPC3 compliant); DOS requires MSCDEX v2.21 or higher, Windows 95 requires native drivers, DOS: I MB PCI SVGA video card (VESA 1.2 compliant), Windows 95: DirectX 3 compatibles 1 MB PCI SVGA video card; DOS: 100% compatible Microsoft mouse and driver v7.04 or higher; Windows 95: DirectX3 compatible sound card.

Requirements for Multi-Player Option: Network (LAN) (2-4 players): IPX compliant network, network card, 1 CD per network player; Modem (2 player): 100% Hayes compatible 14,400 or faster; High Speed (16550 UART) serial port, 1 CD per modem player; Serial (2 player): Direct Link: Null modem adapter High Speed (16550 UART) serial port, 1 CD per serial player.

Reviews:

Computer Shopper, November 1997

"Tired of playing the hero? Bored with slaying demons and unearthing treasures? If so, take a walk on the dark side with Bullfrog's Dungeon Keeper. This diabolical mutation on the fantasy role-playing model puts you in the role of supreme evil, baiting brave do-gooders in your dank underground lair.

"Dungeon Keeper is essentially three games in one: a role-reversal adventure, a catacomb construction set, and a devilishly complex exercise in monster management. As the dungeion keeper, your job is to create rooms and passageways, set traps, dig for gold, and breed monsters to guard the Dungeon Heart. A top-down view provides ample awareness of your surroundings, which scroll in four directions. Battles can also be viewed and controlled from a first-monster perspective, using a rather awkward combination of keyboard commands.

"Monster breeding and management occupies most of your time. You not only have to generate a vile horde, but train your troops with weapons and spells, and keep them loyal to your evil cause. Three levels of computer assistance help newcomers juggle all these tasks, although the PC's ability to create formidable dungeons is questionable, so learning this task should be your top priority.

"Typical of Bullfrog's previous efforts, Dungeon Keeper isn't the type of game you can dive into and reap immediate rewards - a notion confirmed with a quick flip through the game's lavishly illustrated 80-page manual. The learning curve is steep, perhaps even daunting for those used to simple hack-and-slash fantasy quests. Fortunately, there are three tutorial levels to help you master the art of labyrinth and monster design. Beyond that, you're on your own.

"In its solo-play mode, Dungeon Keeper suffers from surprisingly weak artificial intelligence. Even at higher levels, when game play reaches critical mass as the heroic interlopers attempt to reach your Dungeon Heart, your oponents are far too easy to dispatch. By this time, your traps are so well-designed, and your minions so well-prepared, this so-called ultimate battle is a letdown.

"Where the game really takes off, however, is in multiplayer mode: head-to-head via modem or serial connection, or up to four players battling over an IPX network. Like a subterranean version of Capture the Flag, players become rival dungeon keepers, defending their lairs while attempting to overthrow their opponents. In a fitting show of bad sportsmanship, the winner has the option of torturing the loser. Call it the bitter icing on a devil's food cake.

"Overall, Dungeon Keeper earns high points for concept, but only a passing grade for execution. We hope to see a sequel - if not countless knock-offs - that will further refine this intriguing subgenre."

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