Review by: Brian Clair

Today I was blessed to receive a press copy of Diablo from Blizzard Entertainment – which was a huge boon as I was about to go and buy the game. Having now played the full version of Diablo non-stop for 10 hours, I forced myself away from the game to write this review for you. If any of you read my previous review of the Diablo demo or have played the Diablo demo yourselves, allow me to say that the full game will blow your mind! Minor changes to the game interface have made Diablo about as perfect as any RPG style game can get. Let’s explore this a bit…

Diablo places you in the land of Khanduras, a place filled with wonder, magic and intrigue but the story begins far earlier than this. Let us journey back to the beginning of time upon which 2 great forces were created which we call good & evil. Fighting on the side of good were the heavenly angels locked forever in a conflict with the demons of darkness. For eons this war went on with both sides taking heavy losses but neither gaining any real ground – until one day, on one world, something unexpected happened – humans were born. Humans have the unique ability to choose between good & evil and their mere presence caused for the first time in history the Great Conflict to pause. Both sides just stopped, wondering which side the humans would choose, for that could tip the scales towards victory. It was during this time that 2 of the 4 Lesser Great Evils in Hell (Duriel – Lord of Pain, Andariel – Maiden of Anguish, Belial – Lord of Lies, and Azmodan – Lord of Sin) found the courage to attack the 3 Prime Evils (Mephisto – Lord of Hatred, Baal – Lord of Destruction, and Diablo – Lord of Terror). Remarkably the lesser evils were victorious and managed to cast the 3 prime evils into the mortal realm. Fearing for the safety of the humans the angels also went to the mortal realm to protect them. Through their efforts they created an order known as the Horadrim which caught and bound the 3 prime evils inside of soulstones. As time passed the Horadrim all disappeared for all was well…until now, for it seems as though Diablo has gotten lose.

Now, after the very impressive opening movie the game begins. You start off by choosing a player character, from which you have three choices: warrior, rogue, or sorcerer. What each character’s strengths and weaknesses are is self explanatory so I won’t bother with it here. The game provides you with a detailed character sheet which tells you your character’s name, class, level, experience, magical resistances, as well as physical characteristics, etc. When you reach your next level, a “Next Level” icon will appear on the screen. When you get the chance, you just click on it and you can then distribute the points you got from that level (about 5 per level) on each of your different physical attributes. This is important as many weapons in the game require that you have a certain “ability” in one or more of your physical attributes. Each character class also has a special ability or skill. Warriors can repair their own gear – although doing so reduces the items durability (they’re not as good at it as a blacksmith); Rogues can fire bows with incredible precision and speed in addition to disarming traps; and Sorcerers can recharge any magical item they come across.

Magic and weapons are a huge aspect of Diablo, as they are with any RPG. There are many different weapons and armor types in the game, including those which have been enchanted (or cursed). Each weapon and piece of armor provides you with a durability rating. As that item takes/gives damage, it’s durability weakens. You can either pay to have that item fixed or it will be destroyed (unless you’re a warrior but even then your weapon will eventually become worthless). The game is quite nice about that too, as it will display in the lower left corner the items that are nearing destruction. Magic in the game takes the form of potions, scrolls, and books. By reading a book you learn that spell which is then stored in your spellbook. Scrolls are another form of magical spell but you can use them only once. Casting spells takes mana, which you regain over time or through quaffing mana potions.

Now, once you’ve started your character you begin inside the town of Tristram. You can create as many characters as you want from the look of things but you only have 1 save game slot for each one. The town is filled with several remaining residents – the rest having fled or been killed. By talking to them you can buy/sell the items, get healed, identify items, and get important information – including quests. All of the action in the game takes place inside the catacombs of the abandoned cathedral – which was built on top of Diablo’s soulstone. Every level in the catacombs is randomly generated when you first enter that level and random items are added as well. This makes Diablo very replayable and possibly endless (it’s not, you win when you defeat Diablo). The quests you’ll be asked to undertake will all be solved here but you don’t have to solve them if you wish (although if you do you’ll be awarded with a powerful magical item).