ULTIMA VII The Black Gate players will face new quests on the Isle of Fire when ORIGIN releases Forge of Virtue in early September. With the island accessible at any point in the Ultima VII game, Forge of Virtue may be the first "add-in" disk ever developed. "It's different from an `add-on' because it doesn't just pick up where the story left off. With Forge, a new land will rise from the seas of Britannia," says Richard Garriott, Ultima creator and ORIGIN's Creative Director. "No matter how deep you are
into Ultima VII-or even if you've finished it-you can install Forge of Virtue and suddenly, you have another place to go with quests of its own. Each quest is based on one of the virtues of Avatarhood: Truth, Love and Courage. The final quest is to forge the devastating `Shade Blade' to use against the forces of The Guardian. Basically, it's a game within a game." Completing any or all of the quests enhances the Avatar's attributes. Players can travel to the Isle of Fire throughout Ultima VII and return to
Britannia with new-found skills and powerful weapons. Upon installation, Forge of Virtue also updates Ultima VII to its latest released version and makes minor code corrections. Playing Forge of Virtue is not mandatory in order to complete Ultima VII. System requirements are identical to those of Ultima VII (plus one additional megabyte of hard disk space). The suggested retail price of Forge of Virtue is $24.95.
ORIGIN Systems, Inc. is an Austin-based developer of entertainment software founded in 1983 by Richard and Robert Garriott. To date, the company has published more than 30 quality game titles and has more than 150 employees: programmers, artists, writers, and musicians as well as professionals in its Administration, Sales, Marketing and Operations Departments. For more information, contact an ORIGIN Systems representative online.
