Ultima V

1988We had been wandering in the mountains all day, fighting orcs and other strange creatures. Iolo had been poisoned by a snakebite and night was coming on. The situation was starting to feel desperate, until we spotted a town nearby. For some reason our relief turned to despair when, on entering the town, we noticed a poster promising a reward for our heads (detached, of course)...

Like a traditional role-playing game, the package of the latest Ultima contains plenty of stuff. The box holds four disks, an instruction booklet, a quick reference card, the Book of Lore, a map, an amulet and an excerpt from Lord British's travel journal.

Ultima belongs to that small group of games whose manual really is worth reading before you venture into the game. It's also a good idea to keep the quick reference card close by, in case something happens to slip your mind. Although the game feels difficult and even awkward to play at first, you soon get used to the system. The game's author has clearly tried to make it as user-friendly as possible.

Every new Ultima has always been bigger and more complex than its predecessor, and Ultima V is no disappointment in this respect either. The adventure has eight dungeons, over thirty towns and more than two hundred characters the player can talk to.

As everybody knows, the ruler of Britannia is Lord British. He and a band of his loyal warriors set out to explore the vast network of caves lying beneath Britannia, in other words the Underworld.

While they are exploring these uncharted caves, the band is attacked. Some of the men die and Lord British is captured. In the rightful ruler's absence, Blackthorn, corrupted by the lust for power, has seized control. He rules as a dictator, aided by the horrifying creatures of the Underworld.

You have been summoned back to Britannia to help rescue Lord British. When you set out, there are only three of you. Iolo, Shamino and you.

As in the previous Ultima, the player has to cherish their virtues, since only by acting in a morally right way is there any chance of solving the game. So you mustn't make bashing orcs your life's mission, at least not if you want to rescue Lord British.

The first task at the start of the game is to create your character. An old gypsy woman asks questions that weigh up the player's virtues, i.e. valour, honesty, honour and other such frivolous nonsense. After all, it's orcs we came here to bump off.

Those who have played Ultima IV and want to keep their favourite character have been given the chance to bring this old friend into the game.

The game has well over two hundred characters you can talk to. From every character you can find out at least their name and their job. It's also worth trying to ask about subjects that are somehow connected with the person in question. For example, if you meet a hunter, it's worth trying to talk about hunting and things related to it.

Likewise, the game's characters can ask the player questions. It pays to be honest in your answers, since the aim, after all, is to follow the virtues. It would be best to keep a record of the people you have met and of what they have said. It's worth chatting to the same people more than once.

Since the game is played in real time, you should think about whether there's any point going to see a merchant in the middle of the night. The shop is bound to be closed, and the merchant probably won't like being disturbed.

There are ten characters in the game who can join the party. Some of them may want to come along, others have to be asked. The party can't, however, number more than six people at a time.

Ultima V has a new combat system. The individual characters are given orders in turn until the enemy has been defeated or the party has been wiped out. As in role-playing games, the characters' order stays the same throughout the battle.

In combat it's worth favouring long-range weapons (spear, bow and arrow, spell) if you have any with you. Most of the time you can harm the enemy without putting your own party at any risk at all. Unfortunately, at the start of the game the party has nothing but swords and a few spells, so close combat can't be avoided.

The good side of combat is that once you've beaten an opponent, you get to keep their belongings. You can find gold, food, weapons and so on lying about the battlefield.

Some of the player characters can make use of magic. The player has an eight-circle magic system at their disposal, with 48 spells in it. A spell needs the necessary ingredients, such as garlic and ash. The ingredients can be mixed in advance so that the spell is ready for use straight away. In the heat of battle there's no time to go mixing ingredients.

Although the spells are effective, there are certainly opponents they don't help much against. Opponents can turn invisible, poison you, walk through walls or even possess a member of the party.