Download Eye of the Beholder III - Assault on Myth Drannor

The third installment in the well-known Eye of the Beholder series begins with a cinematic in which the heroes of Waterdeep are entertaining the patrons of a local tavern with stories of past adventures, when suddenly a cloaked figure appears and reports a new evil, which apparently only the heroes are capable of destroying, arising in the ruins of Myth Drannor.

After the introduction you have the choice to enter the fray right away with a pre-made party of four, create one of your own with the familiar character generator, or import your weary heroes from Eye of the Beholder II. In any case, the quest begins in a gloomy forest near Myth Drannor, where you proceed to hack and slash your way through the trees and countless ghosts towards the ancient city...

This final episode of the EOB trilogy is not made by Westwood like the first two titles, but by SSI Inhouse, and it shows. After Westwood decided to concentrate on their own line of games (namely the excellent Lands of Lore, which was released at about the same time), it seems like SSI tried to cash in one last time on the popular EOB franchise without putting much effort into it. The gameplay is rather unexciting; you drag yourself through dull dungeons and outdoor areas, slaughtering endless legions of undead and other creatures along your way, with an occasional simplistic puzzle thrown in for good measure. "Nothing wrong with that," you say, "that's exactly what the previous two games were about." Well, not exactly; the basic formula is the same, sure, but while its predecessors were challenging and had some well-thought-out puzzles, EOB3 is just plain boring and uninspired.

There are a few (mainly cosmetic) improvements, however, most notably the group-attack button, which commands all selected characters to swing their weapons simultaneously, which gives your aching wrists a welcome relief. The spell memorization menu is a little more accessible now, and the interface graphics have had a minor overhaul as well.

Its shortcomings aside, EOB3 is still a nice classical hack & slash RPG, so if you can't get enough of that type of game and fancy a nostalgia trip, give it a try; just don't expect anything out of the ordinary.

Part of the Eye of the Beholder Trilogy

Part of the Dungeons & Dragons games Series