Sacred (created by Ascaron, a little-known German game company) takes you to a incredible fantasy world filled with dragons and goblins, demons and angels, and an eternal war between heaven and hell. Sound familiar? It should. Sacred seems to be incredibly reminiscent of the popular Diablo series, especially in terms of graphics and gameplay, although it\'s not certain whether it surpasses them. Sacred is fun and addictive, and will provide hours of entertainment for any RPG fan. But is it right for Christians?

Graphics: 72

This game\'s graphics are neither breathtaking nor repulsive. Sacred features 3D character models in a 2D, isometric world. It\'s not nearly as impressive as games like Dungeon Siege 2 or Knights of the Old Republic, but it\'s still fairly decent.

Game play: 85

The game play is impressive, in the style of most hack-and-slash RPGs, particularly the Diablo series. There are few spells, but the few there are feature breathtaking animations. The \'combat combos\' feature allows you to create your own combinations of dazzling techniques. Almost all of this is done by use of the left and right mouse buttons, and the keyboard is used only for shortcuts. In addition, Sacred is the only RPG I\'ve ever played that featured a working horseback-riding system.

Sound: 50

Disappointingly, the sound and music quality is very, very low. There is no voice-acting whatsoever (at least not in the demo), and the battle sound effects are barely acceptable. The most noise your enemies ever make is a few barely audible grunts and squeels. Did that Goblin just burp?

Stability: 42

Sacred should win an award. \'Buggiest Game of the Year\'. If it doesn\'t crash on you, it will constantly glitch and jerk throughout the entire game. Your character will occasionally seem to teleport short distances across the screen, and you will often get your horse stuck. The online and lan gameplay is so incredibly laggy that you\'ll hardly be able to play at all.

Appropriateness: 31

I would definately not recommend this game to Christians. It\'s filled with satanic creatures and demonic symbols. It makes little differention between good and evil, and contains hordes of occult content. One of the main heroes, the \'Seraphim\', is supposed to be an angel, but looks far more like a prostitute! Her upper body is almost entirely naked, and she remains that way until you find some armor. I can\'t think of any true Christian elements or themes in this game, and there are many anti-Christian ones.

Final Verdict:

Although Sacred has some fun game play, it is buggy and instable, giving lots of frustration to the player. Christians should avoid it due to its satanic and unchristian messages, not to mention scantily-clad women. - Debate_Master