Temple of Elemental Evil: A Classic Greyhawk Adventure

by Atari

Product Features

• Classic Dungeons & Dragons adventure module brought to life on the PC
• Expanded and updated with the D&D 3.5 rule set
• Five controllable characters and three followers in each party
• Multiple story paths and multiple endings, with gameplay that truly supports all alignments
• Party-based adventuring and tactical turn-based combat

Product Details

• Shipping: This item is also available for shipping to select countries outside the U.S.
• ASIN: B00009MGVE
• Product Dimensions: 7.5 x 5.2 x 1.2 inches ; 10.4 ounces
• Media: CD-ROM
• Release Date: September 16, 2003
• Average Customer Review: 2.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (136 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #13,880 in Video Games (See Top 100 in Video Games)
  • #14 in Software > Outlet

Product Description

Greyhawk: Temple of Elemental Evil challenges you to assemble a team of great warriors to uncover a powerful, sinister force!

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

97 of 103 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars 4 or 5 star game if not for the bugs, September 20, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: Temple of Elemental Evil: A Classic Greyhawk Adventure (CD-ROM)

ToEE is not worth a premium price in it's current state. I recommend waiting for a patch (though it is uncertain if Atari/Troika is going to fund a patch) or waiting for the game to hit the bargain bin. Infested with bugs and gameplay issues to include:
-Setting screen scroll speed to 5(fastest) brings everything to a crawl.
-Traveling with NPC's can cause the game to lock up at the world map.
-NPC's inyour party loot themselves into an overburdened status and can barely move in combat.

-Some quests cannot be completed because NPC children were removed from the game.
-Ironman mode "Save and Quit" does nothing. "Return to Game" actually saves and quits.
-No description for the effects of magic items.
-Craft Magic Arms and Armor feat. +3 damage/hit/armor and elemental damage enchantments do not work. May also increase the armor check penalty.
-Craft Wondrous Item feat. Many items cannot be made due to SPELL_NONE being listed as a spell requirement.
-Clerics are not getting domain spells beyond first level.
-Metamagic feats for Sorcerers do not work.
-Monsters spawn in walls while resting.
-Wearing chain boots or gloves can reduce combat movement to 10'.
-Magic weapons negate the Weapons Finesse feat, causing you to use strength instead of dexterity bonus.
-Good clerics sometimes spontaneously cast inflict wounds instead of cure wounds.
-Poor pathfinding and formation holding. Characters will deselct themselves and not move with the group. Wizard/Rogue end up out front when zoning.
-Druid spell Produce Flame gives unlimited attacks against a single target.
-Magic and Greater Magic Weapon give permanent, instead of temporary bonuses.
-Greater Spell Penetration Feat does not seem to be working.
-Crash to Desktops and may not run due to copy protection scheme.
-No feedback from developers on the official forums.
-Other small annoyances.

49 of 53 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Needs more patches, January 11, 2005

By 

E. David Swan (South Euclid, Ohio USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

= Fun:3.0 out of 5 stars 

This review is from: Temple of Elemental Evil: A Classic Greyhawk Adventure (CD-ROM)

I waited on this game because the reviews said that it was buggy. Three patches later and it still needs a lot of work. I suspect that there wont be any future patches.

When it works the game is great. There are tons of sidequests and the battles are enjoyable and I like the interface a lot. I'm old enough to have played the ToEE module when it came out originally so this one brings back a lot of memories. If it was bug free this game would be a five star game. Unfortunetly the bugs keep a comin'.

Bugs (playing with patch 3):
My magic user stopped gaining spells about half way through the game. He had an 18 intelligence so why did he stop acquiring spells? I don't know but since that's sort of the point of the magic user it kind of made him rather wimpy.

NPC's always take part of the spoils. You have no choice in this and you can't take these spoils away from them ever. It's all well and good until they become overburdoned and you can't do anything about it.

There are also the classic freeze-ups, slowdowns and spontaneous shutoffs. The game actually seemed to get worse the more I played. I would put this game in the heartbreaker catagory. You want to love it but it just keeps finding ways to make you mad.

A few non-bugs also bothered me. Early on in the game your characters are absolutely PATHETIC at hitting. There're few things more frustrating then having eight characters surround a creature and all wiff. Actually this habit of missing everything lasts well into the game. I also wish they didn't have a level 10 cap on the characters.

Recommended for gamers with lots of patience.

21 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Great game, but unfinished, October 1, 2003

By 

bluey (MN) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Temple of Elemental Evil: A Classic Greyhawk Adventure (CD-ROM)

We got this game almost the day it came out, as we were very excited about it. I LOVE the game itself, as it is extraordinary many ways - I will have a hard time going back to anything which does not have this turn-based style of combat.

The combat interface incorporates pen and paper turn-based style, with full/half/free actions, and an initiative order! While the game occasionally gets a bit confused (I have had five foot step free actions interpreted as full actions, annoying to say the least) overall it works the way its supposed to and makes combat better than any crpg I have seen to date: really exciting from a strategy standpoint.

The radial menu available to all characters is a bit unwieldy in that mousing slows down (particularly in big battles) and is difficult to "catch" the option you want to choose for your mouse wavering all over the place. You can work around this, however, and once you learn how to implement the various options (it took me forever how to figure out how to unlock doors, for example) It becomes easier and faster to use.

However, the truth remains that it is an unfinished game, and it should never have been released as such. There is little to no "finishing touches" ie. no item descriptions, and obviously temporarily named objects which remained in the game.

The bugs are numerous, and some of them are game-stoppers or quest-breakers. Many of them are obvious, so I don't think anyone did any quality testing. I am having to read up on what does and doesn't work in the game, and play my game based not on what I want to do, but on what isn't bugged.

That's just not right - Atari shows (IMO) poor business ethics by charging unsuspecting customers $50 for an unfinished beta version of what WILL be the best crpg ever when it is finished.