Ravenloft: Stone Prophet

Ravenloft: Stone Prophet is a fantasy role-playing game from DreamForge Intertainment, released for MS-DOS in 1995 by Strategic Simulations. It continues from Ravenloft: Strahd's Possession, using the same game engine. The story is set in the Ravenloft campaign world of Dungeons & Dragons.

Gameplay

Players see the action through a real-time, three-dimensional first-person view, and movement is smooth and free rather than grid-based, though this is optional. The game adapts rules from AD&D 2nd edition with some changes. The CD version includes voice acting and pre-rendered cutscenes.

Plot

In the opening, two player characters are sent by Lord Dhelt to investigate a sudden wall of fire, which transports them to the desert of Har'Akir. This land was once prosperous and Egyptian-themed, but is now haunted by corrupted mummies of the last pharaoh, Anhktepot, and his high priest, Hierophant. Their actions ruined the region, and the story reveals these events as players progress. The main characters can recruit up to two additional adventurers and meet several unique individuals.

Development and release

The game was built with DreamForge’s own engine, also used for Ravenloft: Strahd's Possession and Menzoberranzan. It later appeared in the 1996 AD&D Masterpiece Collection. In October 2015, it was re-released on GOG.com, bundled with Strahd's Possession and pre-packaged with DOSBox for Windows, OS X, and Linux.

Reception

Critics gave generally positive reviews. Scorpia of Computer Gaming World called it "a worthy quest" and a big improvement over Menzoberranzan and Wake of the Ravager. T. Liam McDonald of PC Gamer US noted it felt retro but was a good first-person RPG. John Houlihan of PC Gamer UK praised it as a solid, enjoyable game that didn't overreach, wishing more SSI AD&D titles had matched its quality.

Al Giovetti of Electronic Entertainment recommended it for AD&D fans and beginners, highlighting its balanced mix of plot, conversation, and combat, with fresh sound and visuals. In January 1998, PC Zone listed it among the top 10 computer role-playing games, calling it a great improvement over Strahd's Possession and praising its intuitive spell and combat system, despite unimpressive graphics. GameSpy noted the game was good overall but let down by a disappointing ending, though still a commendable effort.