Review by: Brian Clair

One of the first things they teach you about in business is to do most things adequately and to do some things very well – you can’t be all things to all people. Such is the case with Daggerfall, a game I think may be the most in-depth RPG ever made to date but which lacks many of the finer features that would make it awesome. Daggerfall is literally packed with fantasy RPG elements and features; and I must say, HUGE. This game has got to have the largest game world I’ve ever seen before so don’t think you won’t get your money’s worth with this game.

Unlike most RPG games which give you a set path of events to follow and solve, Daggerfall let’s you create your own story. There is no special storyline you have to complete (but there are many quests and adventures), you can just sit back, relax, and spend countless hours in this world. This is perhaps the most interesting feature about the game, you start by creating your character – almost literally from scratch. Start off by choosing your race, what your background is, what character class you are (or you can design your own), what your skills are, physical attributes, etc. Daggerfall lets you get so in-depth that you can even determine what your character is allergic too, hates, likes, etc. and they will have a direct effect on gameplay. There are also no less than 27 different skills that your character can learn and use in the game to help you along.

Daggerfall is also loaded with lots of magical spells, weapons, armour, you name a fantasy item and this game has got it. I counted over 70 magical spells in the game and the game even lets you create your own! That’s right, you can create your own custom magical spells and items – a first for a fantasy RPG. The game is about as close to Dungeons & Dragons^TM as you can get for a computer game.

NPC’s are a huge part of Daggerfall and you really won’t get anywhere without them. There are hundreds, if not thousands, of NPC’s in this game. An entire world of people for you to talk to and glean information from. Text dialog is used extensively in the game (and I mean that literally, you had better like reading). Monsters are also in high proportion in the game and you won’t find any shortage of creatures to slay in this game. If you are a hardcore role player than Daggerfall is probably the nirvana you’ve been waiting for.