Baldur's Gate: Dark Alliance [Xbox]

Though predated by its PlayStation 2 brethren, the Xbox version of Baldur's Gate: Dark Alliance should prove more than worth the wait. That is, if our hands-on impressions with the title are anything to go by. The demo version shown was severely limited, with only a single playable character and a small area in which to roam. That said, it's painfully obvious that Baldur's Gate: Dark Alliance is going to look very good on the Xbox. Not a huge leap beyond that found on the PS2, but then that version was no slouch to begin with.

Starting out in the middle of a dense forest, you're besieged by a pack of ravenous wolfs. They're easily dispatched with a few swipes of your trusty sword, however, if you're feeling particularly vicious you can immolate them with the aid of a neat little flame-throwing ability. Corpses litter the ground after a skirmish, and serve as a macabre trophy of sorts. After cleaving your way through the local wildlife you meander your way into a snowy, ice-laden mountain area, filled with large, disagreeable Yeti-like creatures. Scooting past them, I managed to stumble across a small cave entrance. Inside I was treated to an ice-covered wonderland, replete with beautiful, glimmering reflections and great lighting effects.

Truth be told, the demo didn't reveal much, what it did do however, was affirm that Baldur's Gate: Dark Alliance on the Xbox will be a fantastic title, even if there isn't an exclusive feature in sight. Controls were intuitively mapped to the Xbox controller, with the A button serving as your primary means of attack; the B button casts spells; X picks up or uses an item and Y jumps. Other notable actions include using the left trigger as a quick and convenient access to a rejuvenation potion; the back button allows you to access your inventory and the D-pad toggles between melee and missile attacks.

One thing is perfectly clear: improved or not, Xbox owners will receive one fine game in the form of Baldur's Gate: Dark Alliance later this year.

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