Icewind Dale Goes Beta

MacPlay has announced that the very popular Balduris Gate title Icewind Dale, or Windy Dale as Jeff K!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!11!1 calls it (note there is a new update from Mr. K!!!!11!!!!!! at his site), has gone beta. The company also announced today that realMYST has reached beta. Icewind Dale will begin shipping in March, according to the company:

MacPlay, a subsidiary of United Developers, announced today that Icewind Dale™ has reached beta and is scheduled to begin
shipping to retail in early March.  In the spirit of the Advanced Dungeons & Dragons® adventure Tomb of Horrors, Icewind Dale is a classic dungeon crawl incorporating the award-winning game play elements from Balduris Gate, offering players a chance to hone their combat skills while exploring the enormous caverns and dungeons beneath the Forgotten Realms® campaign setting.

Using the award-winning BioWare Infinity Engine™ developed by BioWare for Balduris Gate, players create a party of adventurers in the frigid north to combat monstrous cyclops and frost giants that dwarf the player characters as they search for an evil lying deep within the Spine of the World.  Icewind Dale offers high-level character advancement in this adaptation of the AD&D ® rules under license from Wizards of the Coast.

Current customers of Balduris Gate™ II: Shadows of Amn™, as well as any customer who has previously purchased from MacPlayis online store, will receive an additional $10.00 discount under the companyis Customer Loyalty Program, located at:

"The release of Icewind Dale builds on our already strong line-up of titles by bringing another award-winning roleplaying title to the Macintosh community," said Mark Cottam, President of MacPlay. "Gameplay of Icewind Dale under OS X is incredible and a real treat for anyone familiar with the Advanced Dungeons & Dragons adventure series."

You can find more information on Icewind Dale at MacPlayis Web site. The game is being offered for pre-order at US$49.99, with free shipping for US orders.