Might and Magic II: Gates to Another World

Might and Magic II: Gates to Another World is a video game in the role-playing (rpg) genre developed by New World Computing, Inc. and published by New World Computing, Inc. originally released in 1989. It is currently playable on DOS.

The space traveler and rogue guardian Sheltem has left the world VARN, where he was pursued by the relentless Corak the Mysterious and a group of local adventurers who were helping him. The Gates of Another World eventually leads them to another world, known as CRON. There, Sheltem's actions cause great turmoil, and the heroes must stop his madness, preventing him from throwing the planet into its own sun.

Gates to Another World is the second installment in the Might and Magic series, and a sequel to Secret of the Inner Sanctum. The core gameplay is similar to that of its predecessor: the player creates a party of six characters and explores vast 3D environments in first-person, while fighting enemies in turn-based combat and leveling up. Unlike the first game, enemy encounters occur at set points rather than appearing randomly, although enemy type selection remains random.

As in the previous game, character classes each rely on a particular attribute to be effective. The Knight, Paladin, Archer, Cleric, Sorcerer, and Thief return, and two new classes, the Ninja and Barbarian, are added. The selection of races includes humans, elves, dwarves, gnomes and half-orcs. There are several locations and items that are restricted to certain genders, alignments or races. A new feature is the ability to hire two non-player characters to travel with the party and participate in battles. A new skill system is also introduced, allowing characters to learn skills such as mountaineering (needed to traverse mountains), linguist (to read certain messages), cartographer (to create an automatic map), and others.

Compared to the first game, the sequel is more mission-oriented, with various characters in towns giving quests to the party, as opposed to the purely exploration-based travel of the predecessor. Time also plays an important role in this game, as some instances require the party to travel to different time periods. Characters also age as the game progresses; if the player waits too long, the characters' stats will change to reflect their aging, and they will eventually die.

Might and Magic II: Gates to Another World is available at a reduced price on the following websites and is no longer abandonware.