Dark Age of Camelot: Shrouded Isles

• Platform:   Windows 98 / NT / 2000 / Me / XP
• BBFC Rating:
• Media: Video Game

The new graphics engine is wonderful and really comes into its own when you enter the new zones created for the expansion. The new ambient sounds and music are also extremely good, generating a new level of atmosphere while you play.

Each of the three realms in the game gains new zones and new classes of character to play. Albion gets the Necromancer who roams around in "shade" form invulnerable to enemy attack until his summoned pet has been destroyed. The also get the Reaver who is a light tank with good melee combat abilities that are supplemented by a range of pulsing "auras" which have negative effects on all nearby enemies.

Midgard gets the bonedancer who summons his own small force of skeletal pets to assist him in battle and the Savage which is a very specialised melee fighter using agility and strength combined with purpose-made weapons to take down enemies as rapidly as possible.

Hibernia gain the services of the Valewalker: a "walking tree" who wears nothing more than a cloth robe but wields a large, two-handed scythe with deadly precision and is also an adept spell caster. Finally the Animist, another Hibernian caster but this time one whose primary means of combat is to summon large numbers of pets to deal with his would-be attackers.

There is a lot more interaction between the different monsters in the game, even to the extent of pitch battles between orcs and ogres with no human intervention. There are also special types of monsters with new intelligent tricks and traps just waiting to kill you.

There is something in the new zones for every character regardless of level and there are some very interesting new areas and dungeons for the highest level characters to go and explore.

The cost of the game on a monthly basis is not increased for those who own SI and with all the extra content you really would be daft to miss it! --Andi Flower

Manufacturer's Description
Shrouded Isles is an expansion pack, which adds new elements to the online experience that is Dark Age of Camelot. SI supplies access to new races, classes, monsters, landscapes, graphics, etc. and provides you with new things to discover. Players don’t have to buy the add-on. They can play together with players, which have the add-on, but they won’t see the new features. The add-on includes high-resolution textures, realistic water with reflections, shadows on players, monsters, and world objects, etc. In addition the frame rate has been massively improved, with much less slow-down evident when other players are on the screen at the same time. New Ambient Music! The music has been written in a multi-track format so that different bits and pieces of it can be applied randomly together in a way that is not intrusive, but adds life and atmosphere to the game. Shrouded Isles also has 3 new continents in each realm, each populated by a new race. In addition there are also 6 new character classes to choose from.

• PC & Video Games > Games > Strategy > Historical