54. Dungeon Keeper 2

(PC, Bullfrog, 1999)
Moral ambiguity is a given in gaming these days, whether building a crime empire, deciding whether to barter or murder, or opening fire on a group of holidaymakers, It seems that being the bad guy is now always an option. In many games, it's the only option.

Many moons ago, Bullfrog and EA started the Dungeon Keeper series, real time strategy games with the player assuming the big collared cape and twirly moustache of a super-evil overlord and the minions and monsters that live within his lair. DK2 is a RTS and micro-management game, The player views his dungeon from above and must order his team of imps to dig out various rooms, mine for gold and decorate to make the lair attractive to a wide range of hellions who will reside there, going about their daily activities and defending the dungeon's heart from any brave warriors who may foolishly attempt to overthrow you and destroy your hardcore homestead.

DK2 has an abundance of features and a huge range of rooms and monsters to keep even the most feared warlord busy. The game's interface is simple enough for beginners but deep enough for the RTS veteran. A narrator, known as "The Mentor" will inform you of your progress and make you aware of any dangers or shortcomings your hell-hole may be suffering from. The Mentor is great, brilliantly voiced by Richard Ridings, he keeps you abreast of the situation but will also make observations on your gaming skills and, if you play too long, your social life. Epic battles can rage amongst the catacombs, between monsters and heroes or, if morale is low, between your residents themselves. Should the fighting get too out of hand, you may be able to summon the Horned Reaper, a feared warrior who storms into your dungeon, attacking all and sundry, used unwisely, he can do more harm than good.Dungeon Keeper 2 is one of my favourite strategy games, It's fun, innovative and is one of those games that makes hours pass in minutes. I bought the game on release day after I had just bought a new PC, so I was able to ramp all the settings up and enjoy the great colours, lighting effects and 3D models. Many weeks of late-night marathon sessions ensued. The game manages to capture classic evil whilst still being legitimately very funny. It's another example of how Bullfrog could seemingly do no wrong and a sad reminder of how their merger into EA UK and subsequent team split spelled the end of their near perfect track record.

Development of DK3 was stopped in 2000. Hopefully we haven't seen the end of this series, though things are looking very bleak for a sequel. A real shame, as whilst nearly all games today allow you be the nefarious evil-doer, none do it with the perfect blend of class, style, intelligence and humour as Dungeon Keeper.