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	Disciples II: Guardians of the Light
	Developer: Strategy First Publisher: Strategy First Genre: Turn-Based Strategy Players: 1-4 Similar To: Heroes of Might and Magic Rating: Teen Published: 07 :15 : 03 Reviewed By: Ryan Newman Overall: 7 = Good

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Guardians of the Light is a stand-alone expansion that furthers the campaigns of the Empire and the Mountain Clans. When it says stand-alone, it's referring to the fact that the entire campaign of both factions from the original Disciples II is represented here for players to go through again. Why would you want to? Well, if you're new to the series, then it's a no-brainer, as it offers an excellent chance to brush up on the series and get caught up on the story. If you've partaken of Disciples II before, then you'll also need to play again as a hero of level 10 is required to access the new campaigns; for those who opted to not delete their save games, your patience has finally paid off.

However, if you're like me, you uninstalled Disciples II some time ago and tossed the saved game files as well. Playing through the campaigns again will often be bittersweet: despite still being fun, it can get annoying having to go through such a lengthy process, again, just to access the new goods. Not all is lost, though, because the inquisitive types will find the game CD to be full of data to explore that will help alleviate this - potential - problem. Even though playing through a story already read might not be preferred, it still isn't so bad since the game has held up amazingly well.

Half the fun of getting an expansion pack is seeing what goodies have been added to the overall design of the game to make it seem like a whole new experience. Well, not a whole lot was done here. There are 15 missions, as well as the map view getting a boost in resolution to 1280x1024, though battles are still in 800x600; there is also a map editor; a random map generator, but it needs enough attention to where it isn't really what one would expect; as well as some new units and sounds. Some features, like auto-resolving combat, are already in-place, but were also already available for the original via a downloadable patch.

The positives are that the new missions were given the time and detail to really make them engrossing and enjoyable; in fact, I'd say these are more enjoyable than those in the original campaign as they are chock full of scripted events, not to mention that the new characters are pretty interesting. What will really be a treat for gamers is the chance to play as the powerful incarnations of their favorite characters. Starting off with a solid amount of cash and a handful of powerful units,
it's fairly easy to level them up to a status only dreamed of when playing through the original. Unfortunately, while heroes can continue to level up during the third or so mission, they won't get rewarded with new abilities or spells, although they do get slight increases in hit and mana points.

It's tough to really rate Guardians of the Light. On one hand, I still love playing the game and I'm still enchanted by the presentation and character design. On the other, it's just an awkward release. Fans of Disciples II will be paying twice to get the experience they should from one title, and newcomers will only get half the experience. In the end, maybe the latter is the best way to look at it. The original campaigns are lengthy enough to require a while to play through, and by the time the
expansion is completed, Servants of the Dark should be making its way to retail shelves. For veterans, check around for a saved hero to export to the expansion set and enjoy the new goods.

Graphics: 8/10
I would say that I'm disappointed that there weren't more resolution options, but aside from wanting the same map resolution for the original campaigns, I think they made the right decision in keeping combat in 800x600. The art style still holds up incredibly well and remains one of the most distinctive and incredible looks in gaming today. The spell effects look great as well. The only problem here is that, at times, it's difficult to make out the finer details of character in combat and it can be hard to differentiate between other units and random objects on the map view. Other than that, I'm still upset that there hasn't been any kind of merchandise released featuring the art, as it really is phenomenal; there is a cool multimedia section though.

Sound: 8/10
If there's one thing I'm a sucker for, it's a strong narrator. The voice narrating Disciples II's story is up there with the one from the Myth series, and my only complaint is that all the briefings aren't spoken. In-game voices sound good, and there's a large variety of sound effects, but some do sound a little muffled. The background music was also good, with a solid variety of heavy and light-hearted tracks.

Control: 8.5/10
A sleek menu makes basic navigation a breeze, and does the same for fighting, building, and researching spells. Those familiar with Heroes of Might and Magic will feel right at home here as players research spells through a menu that shows a book with marks representing various levels, and build trees showing what will result from purchasing additions to the castle, which are conveniently available via right-clicking. Some parts of combat will feel random though, as some units gets to attack at times when it seems like they shouldn't.

Overall: 7/10
Regardless of how much I wish the developers would have added, or how questionable it seems to have the new campaigns split up in this fashion, I can't deny that the game still plays great. Upon starting a new mission in the original campaigns, I was immediately hooked again and spent countless hours fighting the 'one more turn' sickness. Being able to play as high level units was also a blast and seeing two armies of high stature going at it was a sight to behold. With Disciples II being roughly half the price Guardians of the Light, it's tough to recommend which route to take. Getting Disciples II will mean that players will most likely miss out on the high end characters, but skipping it will mean paying about $40 for both expansions and both halves of the original, making the completed expansion set around $30. Either way, there's plenty of quality gaming awaiting gamers regardless of which route they take.

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