Neverwinter Nights was a turning point in computer RPGs. It arrived at a time when the once successful RPG model employed in Baldur’s Gate, Planescape: Torment and Icewind Dale was starting to wane, and action oriented third and first-person titles like Morrowind were gaining attention. Rather than jump on the bandwagon, Bioware’s response was to reinvent what a classic D&D should be on a computer, and the end result was a hugely customisable platform, which provided multiplayer, Dungeon Mastering, and an endless supply of community generated modifications.

So what is the new developer Obsidian supposed to do with a sequel? The answer, in sum, is more. Neverwinter Nights 2 is precisely what you’d expect in a follow up to NWN, featuring more items, monsters, story, and depth. In fact, the original campaign that shipped with the base NWN game was considered a largely unspectacular achievement, leading many to believe that NWN was just an engine and nothing more. In contrast, Obsidian has made NWN 2’s story a true RPG in itself, filled with all the plot twists, sub quests and heavy characterisation that RPGs are known for.

Beyond that, Obsidian has recognised that the success of the original was in its community driven content. Consequently, NWN 2 has a revamped the toolset, and even rewritten the user interface to be easily modifiable. This means modders can not only create new stories, graphics, and scripts, but they can also revamp the interface to fit with their custom module. Those that created modules for the original NWN can also import some scripts and dialogue into the new toolset, although graphical elements will need to be recreated.

NWN 2 is a true sequel to Bioware’s classic, but it’s too rough around the edges to be an instant winner. The customisable interface is a bonus to modders, but out of the box, it’s a clunky, inelegant affair, particularly when you look at the polished radial menu system of the original. In addition, while it does look better than the original, it’s not up to par with recent RPGs on the market -- even on the recommended system spec, your PC will struggle to keep pace.

That said, NWN 2 matches the original in scope, and betters it with its stellar built-in campaign. Where we hesitated about buying NWN until more content was generated, we have no such hesitation with NWN 2 -- buy it now for a classic, involving RPG, and then hang onto it for the inevitable wave of custom mods and campaigns.