History

• Dungeons and Dragons has been a classic in the role playing game genre since its inception in the 1970s. With the advent of computers, the epic tale of swords, sorcery and mythical beasts has been told and retold hundreds of times, all inspired by the Dungeons and Dragons pen and paper game. Though officially licensed products bearing the Dungeons and Dragons name have always been late in coming to the computer platform, they are all wildly popular. Titles such as Neverwinter Nights, Neverwinter Nights 2 and Dungeons and Dragons online offer endless hours of role-playing entertainment with friends, family, and even strangers.
  
  

Significance

• Neverwinter Nights was originally released in 1991 through America Online (AOL). Thousands of players utilized second edition rules to create second characters and banded together to defend the city of Neverwinter from menacing evil forces. The quest ended in 1997 when AOL decided that the game had outlived its attractiveness. The title was resurrected in 1999 by software developer Bioware and published by Atari. In addition to the main campaigns offered in Neverwinter Nights and its expansions, Shadows of Undrentide and Hordes of the Underdark, Neverwinter Nights also offers free online multiplayer experiences via the Gamespy service. This service offers literally hundreds of worlds created and maintained for free by owners of the Neverwinter Nights program in English, French, Spanish, German and other languages for players from around the world.
  
  

Function

• Following up on the success of Neverwinter Nights, Atari tapped software developed Obsidian to create the sequel, Neverwinter Nights 2, and its add-ons. Debuting in 2008, Neverwinter Nights 2 and its expansions, Mask of the Betrayer and Mysteries of Westgate, also take place around the city of Neverwinter as well as offering similar multiplayer capabilities through free online servers created and hosted by owners of the Neverwinter Nights 2 program. Again, there are literally hundreds of different worlds operating in half a dozen languages available for play online.
  
  

Types

• Dungeons and Dragons Online (DDO) is a third option for those wishing to play with friends over the Internet. Premiering in 2006, DDO has finally made an entry into the subscription online game industry. Utilizing the revised third edition rules (commonly referred to as v3.5), gameplay takes place in the world of Eberron. The most recent expansion, Stormreach, places the players in the frontier town of Stormreach and opens up new class abilities, items, areas and monsters to occupy the players. DDO also offers periodic free updates and minor expansions throughout the year.
  
  

Time Frame

• There are also other online Dungeons and Dragons games available to players, though they lack the truly massive scale of the above titles. Baldur's Gate, originally published in 1998 by Black Isles studios in conjunction with Interplay software. Utilizing the second edition rules, the game allows for solo play or play with friends over a Local Area Network (LAN) as well as limited Internet connectivity. This tradition continued in the Baldur's Gate 2 sequel and add-ons.