Forgotten Realms Archives: Silver Edition

All the famous Gold Box games are included, from Pool of Radiance, the game that started it all, to the high-level adventure Pools of Darkness. It takes some doing to get them running properly, but the rewards are worth it for old-school role-playing fans that never had the chance to complete these great games. The ground-breaking Eye of the Beholder series--three terrific games--is also included. "Newer" games include the acclaimed Underdark adventure Menzoberranzan and Blood & Magic, a poor real-time strategy game that is by far the most disappointing title in this package. Even hardcore players likely won't get much satisfaction from the boring Dungeon Hack or Hillsfar, which has too much combat and too little depth.

Don't expect too much from the graphics in these games. Some are more than 10 years old, and they can be cranky on newer, faster machines running Windows 95 or 98. If you have the patience to get them running, however, this collection is one rewarding time machine. --T. Byrl Baker

Pros:

• Plenty of classic role-playing games
• All titles are set in the popular Forgotten Realms

• The uninitiated will balk at the poor graphics and outdated interfaces
• Can be difficult to get these older games running properly on a modern system

Included in the set are Pool of Radiance, Curse of the Azure Bonds, Secret of the Silver Blades, Pools of Darkness, Gateway to the Savage Frontier, Treasures of the Savage Frontier, Hillsfar, Eye of the Beholder, Eye of the Beholder II, Eye of the Beholder III, Dungeon Hack, Menzoberranzan, Blood and Magic, and the Baldur's Gate interactive demo.