Introduction

Developer: Bullfrog
Publisher: Electronic Arts
Release Date: Summer 1999 (July-August)
Official Website: http://www.dungeonkeeper.com/

Being Evil Never Felt So Good

When it came out in 1997, Dungeon Keeper became a sort of cult classic among gamers. Headed by Peter Molyneaux, Bullfrog was no stranger to innovative titles (Syndicate, Theme Park), but with Dungeon Keeper, they took it to new levels. Instead of fighting the dark side, Bullfrog had the player take the role of an evil dungeon master trying to hoard treasure away from goody-goody heroes. Combine that premise with tons of monsters to domesticate, powerful spells, and that wonderful Bullfrog wit and you've got the formula to the original Dungeon Keeper. The original pitted you against the Avatar and his smarmy hordes of do-gooders.

Here comes a dark angel

Dungeon shot

The story

In the sequel, you and all the other evil dungeon keepers have been driven out of the land of Harmonia by King Reginald. Forced to retreat underground, your only hope is to recover all of the scattered Portal Gems which will allow you to open up a Portal Gate between the Underworld and the "Sunlit Kingdom of the Heroes." There are a couple of catches though. First of all, the gems are each guarded by powerful knights of King Reginald. You're not the only one after the gems; other dungeon keepers seek to get the gems just like you. Finally, you can't even use the Portal Gems yourself once you capture all of them - only "Horny" the powerful demon has the strength to open up the gateway. You'll need to form a partnership with this temperamental, yet hilarious monstrosity.

Another random dungeon shot

More dungeon overview