OS: Windows 95/98/ME varied results under Windows 2000 and XP CPU: Pentium 90Mhz RAM: 16MB VIDEO: PCI or better SOUND: 16 bit Direct X 5 compatible Also requires Jedi Knight Dark Forces Age: Teen

Introduction

Mysteries of the Sith is Jedi Knight?s Expansion Pack. It contains 14 more levels, new weapons, new engine features, and a new multiplayer mode. This is one of the best network games I have ever played.

Story

Mysteries of the Sith is a series of missions based on Mara Jade becoming Kyle Katarn?s Apprentice. For those of you who don?t know, Mara later married Luke Skywalker, but that doesn?t come up in this game. The first 4 missions you play as Kyle and destroy an asteroid base. Then he goes off on a mission. You play as Mara for the remaining 10 missions. Eventually, you go after Kyle, with the last three levels taking place in an abandoned Sith Temple.

Graphics

Mysteries of the Sith can support colored lighting, which makes the atmosphere more interesting. Other than that new feature, the graphics are the same blocky models as in Jedi Knight. It cannot compare to the other games of the period. Even the original Unreal has better graphics than this. The ingame cutscenes are no longer full-motion video (FMV), instead they are rendered by the engine. They are no doubt the WORST cutscenes I have ever seen; they are even worse than the cutscenes in Wing Commander 2. Remember, graphics don?t make a game, the Gameplay makes a game.

Gameplay

Single Player

While the levels are not as long as in Jedi Knight, the single player campaign is very good. The levels range from an Asteroid Base to a Hutt?s Palace to an ancient Sith temple. There are some new AI, like Rebel Soldiers, wampas, scout troopers, and some others I will let you discover on your own. The dianoga from Dark Forces 1 makes a comeback, and is now a lethal creature. The Temple was very well done, and very creepy. The vornskrs redefine ?greased lightning?. Also, in the temple there are Sith soldiers that use lightsabers. They attack in groups, making it much harder to take them out.

Multiplayer

Multiplayer is good also. The maps range from Jabba the Hutt?s palace to Luke?s home to a Carbonite Chamber. The maps tend to focus on scenes from the movie, and are very well done. The new game mode is KFS. In KFS, you must hold onto a little slug-like creature and get points as long as you are holding it. The object of the other players is to stop you, and get it for themselves. There is no capture the flag mode anymore, which is somewhat of a disappointment, since I always liked capture the flag.

Weapons

The weapons are good, with new ones since Jedi Knight. You can use a carbonite gun to freeze them, a sniper scope for your rifle, flash bombs to blind them and others. The lightsaber blocks better than in the last one, but there are no new moves for it without using mods. The sequencer charges now have a manual mode that makes them work like satchel charges. The seeker rails are like very good guided missiles. I find it very difficult to evade them.

Sound/Music

The music is the typical, well-done Star Wars Music. The sound is the typical Star Wars sound. Voice acting is rather good, though I think that the Civvies start to sound rather pathetic.

Stability

Mysteries of the Sith is very stable. The only times it ever crashed were when I made my own level/mod and it had bugs in it, or when I enabled 3D acceleration on my GeForce4 MX or TNT2 graphics card. It will work on the GeForce4 MX after you get the latest drivers. It doesn?t support 3D at all on TNT2.

Appropriateness

Mysteries of the Sith is pretty much the same as Jedi Knight. There is no swearing or immodesty. There is no blood, even when you sever limbs with your saber. Instead of blood, smoke drifts from the limb. When you shoot someone, sparks fly instead of blood. Killing civilians now drains your force. Speaking of which, there is the whole force thing. If that offends you, don?t play it. You can use the dark side powers, such as lightning or choke, or you can choose to use only light side powers. However, you can?t become a full dark Jedi like you could in the first one.

Conclusion

Mysteries of the Sith is a very fun game. I would recommend it to anyone who likes Star Wars FPSs. You need Jedi Knight 1 to play it, so eBay is the best way to get this. There are many mods out there for this, I would recommend Saber Battle X. Be warned, this adds blood to severed limbs, and some of the characters are immodest.