Dungeons & Dragons: Ravenloft Series

I remember playing these games as a kid, had so much fun with them. would definitely pick them up to relive those old memories. But really, characters named "Drug Addict" and "Alcoholic" in the preview screenshots? C'mon GoG, what are you doing >_>

I cannot suggest this game enough. It is far less overwhelming than the Eye of the Beholder series. If you are worried about to bugs that affect some people in Strahd's Possession than just jump to Stone Prophet. This is CLASSIC RPG adventure at it's absolute best, there really is nothing like playing through the full game and actually feeling like you accomplished something by beating a REAL game.

Strahd's Possession is the more memorable of these two, but still hard to recommend without reservations. It has a number of hostile design decisions (enemies that drain your levels, "spinner" and teleport traps that make navigation difficult, and at least one quest trigger (the ghost) that can completely ruin a playthrough if encountered too early. The interface is clunky, the framerate is poor, and the music can be difficult to take at times. However, the game's got a great atmosphere and the story wastes no time getting its hooks in and setting up a great villain. The titular vampire is a foreboding presence you never forget even when he's out of sight, and the land itself feels hostile. Even those design elements that kinda suck from a gameplay perspective nevertheless support the atmosphere -- Barovia is hostile and any would-be heroes are doomed, so why not have level draining enemies? Both games comes with not just a manual but a "cluebook" that serves as a slightly inexact strategy guide. The Stone Prophet guide is mostly just a stack of annotated maps. The Strahd's Possession guide, on the other hand, is a really lovingly made first person "journal" from the perspective of the player characters. It smooths out some of the game's worst aspects while adding more atmosphere to the world, and I would recommend that anybody interested in Strahd's Possession embrace the cluebook. 4 stars for the first game. Stone Prophet's design is significantly less hostile -- dungeons easier to navigate, etc. However, despite the improved interface it seems amateurish in comparison. The killer portrait art from the first game is sorely missed. It's a smoother but less interesting experience, up until the very last major encounter, which is like a brick wall, made worse by the fact that the ending cinematic froze the game -- had to watch it on YouTube. 3 stars for the second game, despite some cool ideas. I didn't hate it but it felt like a time waster rather than a gem.

Stone Prophet: I remember seeing reviews of this game in Top Secret and wanted to play it since then. Thank you GOG for making it possible! Stone Prophet has many great features. Graphics is great for it's time. Music is hypnotizing and I'd love to hear it remastered. Dungeons are complexed, engaging and challenging, but not impossible to beat. But what I absolutely loved about Stone Prophet was the freedom. It's one of the first games that allows you to use spells like 'knock' and 'teleport' to speed the game if you need it. "Knock" spell opens every door and if you are tired of looking for a key buried deep in the dungeon, just open it with a spell. Game do not cheat the system by putting magical locks everywhere. Thieves work the same way, just pick the lock and carryon. Same with teleport, when you get it you can move to ANY location you have on your minimap. What is beautiful about it, is that gameplay and story survives it. Good job guys, new titles could learn a lot from you.