Dungeon Master II: The Legend of Skullkeep

Dungeon Master II: The Legend of Skullkeep, also released as Dungeon Master II: Skullkeep, is the sequel to the dungeon crawler role-playing video game Dungeon Master. It was released in 1993 in Japan and in 1995 in other countries. Tha game was available for DOS, Amiga, Macintosh, Sega CD, PC-9801, PC-9821, and FM Towns. A Sega Mega Drive version was planned but never released.

The backstory for Skullkeep has nothing to do with the original Dungeon Master. The story is set in the world, which is called Zalk. Skullkeep is a long-abandoned fortress on a remote island, rumored to hold the remains of some kind of machine called the Zo Link. A young warrior named Torham Zed has been sent to the island by his uncle, Mylius, who serves on some kind of governing body called the World Council. Torham discovers that evil is stirring in Skullkeep. Weird, evil little orbs keep teleporting into the world 'from the Void' and then flying directly into the castle.

Torham meets an old woman who initially mistakes him for Mylius. Just before one of the orbs kills her, she talks about someone trying to 'cross the Void' and enter the world, and she begs Torham to put the machine back together, use it to somehow cross the Void himself, and 'attack him there before he attacks us here!' Torham's problem is that Skullkeep is sealed with a lock that requires four keys, and no one knows where the keys are.

Dungeon Master II received mediocre reviews and sold poorly. Reviewing the Sega CD version, GamePro commented that the standard Genesis controller does not work well with its point-and-click interface, and that a Sega Mouse is needed to fully enjoy the game. They also criticized the need to maintain light sources and food supplies. However, the bulk of their review was devoted to praise for the enemy AI, which they contended is so intelligent and naturalistic that it's 'almost like playing against another person.'

British gaming magazine The One gave the Amiga version of Dungeon Master II an overall score of 93%, stating that 'The game is simply superb and it will really draw you in ... This is a game that has more atmosphere than you can wave a stick at. It's a sort of first person adventure game that will draw you in like never before ... The sound is totally amazing, helping to create a stunning overall effect. It is 3D sound that really does simulate distance and direction.' The One compares the first-person perspective to Doom, stating 'It simply isn't as good as any of the doom clones that there are around at the moment', and expresses that they think Dungeon Master II improves upon its predecessor, Dungeon Master. Reviewing the later PC version, a Next Generation critic said that while the original Dungeon Master was an outstanding game, Dungeon Master II retained aspects of the original that had long since become outdated. Noting the 'refreshingly different magic system' as one of the few bright points, he gave it two out of five stars.