Baldur's Gate II: Shadows of Amn is a 2000 role-playing game developed by BioWare for the PC and Mac, and is the sequel to 1998's Baldur's Gate. Both games take place in the D&D-based world of “Forgotten Realms” and give you control over a party of customizable fantasy characters.

At the beginning of Baldur's Gate II: Shadows of Amn, a narrative cutscene informs you of the events that have occurred since the last game's conclusion: you have been captured and imprisoned by unknown enemies, along with your past friends Imoen, Jaheira and Minsc. After escaping your holding cell in the dungeon, you learn that the identity of your captor is an extremely powerful mage named Jon Irenicus. Because both you and Imoen are spawns of the Lord of Murder, Baal, Irenicus desires to harness your power for his own selfish purposes. Though Irenicus gives chase, you eventually escape the dungeon, and emerge in the city streets of Athkatla. Magic is illegal within the city, and because of this both Imoen and Irenicus are taken prisoner by the Cowled Wizards, the regulators of magic. Your mission then becomes clear: through completing various quests and talking to numerous NPCs, you must discover the location of the Cowled Wizards magical prison, and rescue Imoen before Irenicus kills her.

Baldury's Gate II: Shadows of Amn is a party-based role-playing game. You control a group of up to six different characters, each with their own weapons, armor and abilities. Throughout the game you battle many different monsters and enemies. When a battle occurs, you pause the game by hitting the spacebar. From there, you can individually dole out separate orders to each member of your party. When you unpause the game, all of the orders will be enacted. The main bulk of your progression through the game is navigated through the use of a detailed world map of the region of Amn. The “main storyline” is but a single thread in a complex system of optional gameplay, as there are numerous hidden locations and side-quests to explore in nearly any order you choose.

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