DESCRIPTION

The Myth: The Total Codex package includes Myth: The Fallen Lords, the original award-winning real-time strategy game; Myth II: Soulblighter, the award-winning sequel, Myth II:Chimera, an epic adventure that runs on the Myth II engine, and a collection of manuals, strategy guides, level editors and other goodies provided in the Adobe Acrobat PDF format.

Myth II: Chimera is an eight-level scenario add-on for Myth II: Soulblighter. For fans of this groundbreaking real-time war simulation, Chimera adds new life, new characters and new scenarios. The plot revolves around Four Bear Silent Oak, a shaman who dreams of the coming of a great evil. Four Bear enlists the help of a reluctant Fenris, a hero of the wars against the Fallen. The two proceed through a loosely linked series of adventures that do what Myth does best — pit the Armies of the Light against the Armies of the Dark in brutal medieval combat. Like its predecessors Myth: The Fallen Lords and Myth II: Soulblighter, Chimera is all about battle — if you want puzzle-solving or resource management, look elsewhere.

Chimera is a one-player game in which you guide the heroes through battle after battle. It's a typical linear video game; i.e. you must finish one level to move onto the next. Who stays alive is unimportant as long as the main characters don't die — you always get reinforcements for the next level, no matter how many units you finish with.

Bungie Software, the publisher of Myth, did yet another excellent job of packaging and presentation. Chimera's art is wonderful. New enemies include Skeleton Warriors and Banded Wasps in addition to the usual cast of baddies such as Ghols, Thrall and Fetch. If there was a design theory behind the new characters, it might have been "speed kills." The new units are very fast but can't take a lot of damage. This high level of speed puts new importance on marching in formation and protecting vulnerable units.

Myth II: Chimera is available as a free download from www.bungie.com, or will be bundled in Myth: The Total Codex, a package that includes Myth and Myth II. ~ Scott Sigler, All Game Guide