by Dan Bass

Computer gamers were introduced to the world of Exile in early 1996. Now, the immense underground world of Jeff Vogel is back, and it is just as untamed as before. Exile was truly a high quality Shareware game, and Exile II carries on that tradition. 

You Ain’t Seen Nothing Yet
If you thought the world of Exile was big, hold onto your Broadsword, because the world of Exile II is at least four times larger than the original. You begin the game several years after the end of Exile I. Things have moved quickly. The sinister Empire of the Overworld is seeking to put the Underworld of Exile in tighter control after Emperor Hawthorne was assassinated by the people of Exile. Legions of the Empire’s best troops flooded into the Underworld caves to try to put the citizens of Exile back into the control of the Empire, or kill them trying. The Empire has taken back large areas of the underground kingdom but not all. This is where Exile II starts. 
But hold on. Your task might not be to destroy the Empire after all. Strange red barriers have appeared cutting parts of Exile. Magical barriers of this type seem even too powerful for the Empire to have created, and the citizens of Exile are growing more nervous by the day. With the Empire on the move, barriers closing off parts of the Underground world, and with the powerful Nephil and Slith forces still out roaming the countrysides vying for power, the future of the Underworld society is in some doubt. This is where you come in. What are you going to do about the problems in Exile? That is entirely up to you to decide. 

Exile II is a fairly easy game to play. The interface is very close to the original Exile interface with a few improvements. The commands are mostly mouse and keyboard driven. There is now background music.  There are less screens to sort through than the original, and now there is an option to turn off and on the automatic map. The automatic map keeps the various maps of where you have been in a file. The spell casting system is just about the same. There are two different sets of spells:  Mage spells which are of an attack nature and Priest spells which are of a healing nature. A spell casting adventurer will know many lower level spells but will have to search the Underworld to find or buy higher level spells.
 
In the world of Exile, there are many different skills to master:  Item Lore, Lock picking, Assassination, Trap disarmament as well as Alchemy and two different types of spells which magic casters will have to learn how to cast. You should round out your characters and give each one a specialty. 

In your journey through the realm of Exile, you will encounter many different people and places. Keeping track off all the different quests and errands you are on is essential. It is very easy to get lost in the world of Exile. Therefore, the wise adventurer will carry a notebook next to his dagger. Doing so will probably save you more time than killing all of the Brigands in the countryside. 

Another advisable thing to do is save often! Before you do anything you feel is drastic, save the game. There are many things in this game that once done are hard or impossible to undue. Be sure you are prepared before you leap into a tough battle! It is the better side of valor to know when you are unready to fight a tough foe than to rush into battle unprepared and get slaughtered.

Getting Started
Some tips on early survival. First of all, make sure you have all of the information you need before you leave Fort Ganrick when the game begins. When you return, you will find the fort under attack by the hostile Nephelim. To the south of Fort Ganrick is Fort Draco. This fort is going to be your primary center of activity for the early part of the game. The fort has a trainer as well as very cheap food. Goblins are a good source of experience for the new party. Use your Mage to kill them off using magic spells. The gold collected will allow you to buy better weapons for your fighters and allow them to get into the game. Once you have gotten your magic users to at least level 4 spells, you are ready to reenter Fort Ganrick and take on the Nephelim that have invaded it. 

Exile is a very good game. It promises to keep the player involved for hours of intriguing game play. And should the adventurer ever get stuck, there is help to be found in the form of a hint booklet that can be ordered from Spiderweb software.
Well, you’ve heard about the game, and you know the story. What are you waiting for? Sharpen your Great Axe and start playing!

Pros
• Many bugs have been worked out of version 1.0.3
• Original Storyline
• Many different ways to win the game

Cons
• Long drawn out quests are hard to keep track of

Publisher Info
Tel: (908) - 545-7552

Internet: jvogel@eden.rutgers.edu
AOL: SpidWeb
CompuServe: 76463,1521