Disciples II Gold

Turn-Based Fantasy Goodness

Once upon a time, and not that long ago, games like Disciples II or Heroes of Might and Magic were mainstays of the industry, being featured and lauded by game magazines and loved by huge numbers of gamers. Termed "turn-based fantasy" games, they featured a tasty combination of exploration, construction, and combat, with a bit of story thrown in.

Today, the mainstream industry has abandoned the genre, because turn-based fantasy games don't really work with console controllers, and the high budgets of modern games pretty much forces you to release for multiple platforms. But smaller developers and publishers like, say, Strategy First, continue to support it. And in the case of Disciples II Gold, you're in for a treat, because this is one of the best--and the Gold pack includes every expansion ever released for Disciples II, literally hundreds of hours of gameplay, for a very reasonable price.

Big Demo, Small Demo

The default demo for Disciples II Gold is larger than a gigabyte, which will take a long time to download even over broadband. So large, in fact, that we require you to use BitTorrent to download it (when using BitTorrent, you're serving pieces of the file you downloaded already to other users also downloading the file at the same time--this saves us money [not cheap to serve files of this size] and also will produce a faster download if/when our server is getting hammered). If you want to do this:

1. Download the BitTorrent client here (<6MB).
   
2. Install it.
   
3. Click on the "Download Demo" link at left; when the download starts, it should ask if you want to open with Bittorrent. If it doesn't, click browse and locate where you installed Bittorrent.
   
4. When the installer finishes downloading, you can close BitTorrent, and install the game.
   

What you get is half of the game--everything except the Rise of the Elves expansion (you get that on purchase)--with a 3 hour limit on play (on purchase the time limit gets removed).

Or you can download our smaller demo here (<150MB). It contains only one quest, but has no limit on time--and you don't need BitTorrent, and it'll download quicker.

If/when you purchase, btw, you can download without BitTorrent. And we apologize for this, but basically, without BitTorrent, offering a demo this huge, given typical conversion rates (that is, how many people buy after downloading a demo) is economically disastrous for us... In fact, it might not be a good idea even with BitTorrent, but hey, we like to experiment.

The Developer Says

Disciples II has been awarded countless honours for its unique gameplay and challenging scenarios, including game of the year and many editors' choice awards. Disciples II Gold is a must for any Disciples fan and a great value for anyone who has never played Disciples before. All of the Disciples II campaigns and hundreds of hours of gameplay in one adventure-packed box (err, two adventure-packed downloads, actually).

Dark Prophecy
A decade has past since the first Great War of the original Disciples game. The final prophecy continues to unfold. Deep in the crevices of the Sacred Lands, the Chosen One has emerged, fated to bring salvation to some and destruction to others. Playing as one of four races, gamers must take up the sword and fight for the glory of their God.

Servants of the Dark
Servants allows gamers to play the two 'evil' races while the Disciples story continues to unfold. Play as either the Legions of the Damned ­spreading Brethrezen's plague across the land while sensing a greater threat in the Elven god, or the Undead Hordes ­ seeking revenge against Gallean, one that will scar his people for eternity.

Guardians of the Light
Continuing the story that began in Dark Prophecy, Guardians allows gamers to play either the Empire ­trying to gain control of the now vacant throne while a cruel inquisition sweeps their lands, or the Mountain Clans ­trying to reunite their tribes after their near-destruction by the Chosen One.

Rise of the Elves
For the first time in Disciples' five year history, a new playable race has emerged. Continuing the storyline that began in the companion packs; Guardians and Servants, gamers can now play the Elven Alliance as they struggle to unite their race and reclaim their forests.

Reviews

"A worthy addition to any player’s collection.... 4 of 5 Stars"
   - Adrenalin Vault

"I found myself on several occasions saying 'just one more turn...' only to look at the clock and think 'My God, it's 2:00 AM.'"
   - The Wargamer

"Recommendable to both general fans of fantasy-themed turn-based strategy games and fans of Disciples.... 7.6"
   - Gamespot

"This is an addictive, gorgeous, and challenging game that shoves a pie in the face of those that continue to foster the notion that turn-based strategy gaming is dead."
   - Gamespy

"...Disciples II: Dark Prophecy polishes the turn-based fantasy genre to a brilliant sheen...8.8/10"
   - Armchair Empire

"A refreshing and thoroughly addictive game, Rise of the Elves will provide you with numerous hours of entertainment.... Score: 85%"
   - NAG Magazine

"Gamer's Choice Award"
   - Computer Games Magazine

"As for Rise of the Elves, it's a solid product all around..."
   - IGN

"Even though the game is a couple of years old, Disciples II still looks fantastic."
   - Gamespy

"It’s a fun game that’s loaded with hours of gameplay and replay value... Definitely check it out... Overall Score: 8.8/10"
   - GameZone

"Disciples 2: Dark Prophecy’s gorgeous visuals will amaze the eyes as the gameplay excites the spirit and the finely composed music and sounds stir the soul!"
   - Just RPG

"Disciples 2: Dark Prophecy reminds us that great, innovative gameplay and an engaging storyline is what makes a good game, and that is exactly what it gives us."
   - Gamer's Hell