Baldur's Gate: Tales of the Sword Coast provides four new areas for you to explore, all of which share the richness that made Baldur's Gate a groundbreaking masterpiece. Players are given the opportunity to explore a few new islands, visit a suburb of Baldur's Gate, and engage in a good old-fashioned dungeon crawl beneath Durlag's Tower. Players can also embark on a quest that will take them back into the city of Baldur's Gate itself. These new quests tend to be even more involved and challenging than those found in the initial game, as they gravitate more toward puzzle solving than pure combat.

The additional areas are at least as satisfying as any found in the original, featuring three new types of monsters as well as new magic items, enemies, and spells, all of which are woven seamlessly into the game play. Those who are already deeply involved in a campaign or have already completed the game need not start over to take advantage of the expansion. Baldur's Gate: Tales of the Sword Coast raises the character experience cap by at least one level and can be integrated at any time during your campaign, easily providing an additional 20 hours of game play.

For a Baldur's Gate enthusiast, the four new areas alone make this expansion worth having. An added treat is the included software utility that allows players to speak to each other online via microphone, giving multiplayer games a live role-playing feel. Baldur's Gate: Tales of the Sword Coast may tend to give you more of the same, but in this case, you wouldn't have it any other way. --Joshua B. Coombs

Pros:

• New areas just as good as first ones
• Powerful new magic items and increased experience cap
• Enables your BG characters to get tougher, ready for Baldur's Gate 2
• Free online speech software

• Doesn't significantly extend the story line