(This was a module suggested to me for review in the kids' section after I created the new section here on the wiki, with the help of @OlivierLeroux. I wasn't disappointed.)
This module is shortish but not unduly so. It is set in a Kobold world and your adventurer is pitched in to help them resolve a problem. They are understandably wary of humans but keen for your help in finding one of their number who has gone missing. Naturally you are promised a reward which, at least to them, is very valuable; a Vorpal Blade.
I had read some of the comments on this module before starting so came to it expecting a cleverly constructed module with a little decent humour and not too much difficult combat. Overall, it delivered on these pretty well.
It begins with a lovely cutscene where the Kobolds discuss their predicament and the suggestion is that they advertise for an adventurer to find the missing Kobold. I found the opening cutscene to be pretty engaging, with humour sprinkled throughout and you immediately begin to recognise the character traits of those involved. I particularly liked the "scratching head" animation which I don't think I've seen before.
The village/town/stretch of desert where the Kobolds live is surrounded by cliffs and to gain entry you need to speak the magic word to open the door. Warning! This took me a while to work out and as you are only likely to be playing this with a little person I'm happy enough to reveal that, almost uniquely(?) in NWN modules it requires you to use the Text chat line. Well done and great idea!
The campsite where they live is pretty sparse in terms of dwellings but enough to create an atmosphere with its little oasis bit and several different tent like structures. There is obviously some ambient walking system going on as the Kobolds go about their business without disturbing you. All in all, this was quite well done. There are some important clues to be had from speaking to various NPCs but I felt that a little chance was missed to build on the humour of the opening as many of them respond with the same stock phrase.
Don't however, fail to chat to the two guys on the catapult and the ensuing cutscene. Comedy gold and the ensuing cutscene is not to be missed! Little touches also impressed me here, such as the campfire lighting up every time I approached it which immediately seemed to result in a Kobold coming up and putting it out again.
Having realised what my objective was, I entered the mines built into the cliff walls and ventured forth. In general, the mines were fine with occasional light combat but nothing too threatening for youngsters. You will need a torch. I picked up a few pieces of gear which kids would enjoy, especially a pretty decent sword which helped give me confidence in any combat. I thought I was making good progress. A special mention here goes to the digital elevator (lift) employed to get me down to the lowest level. This was great. I had seen it before here in a great thread on the Vault by @TarotRedhand where he lists great assets and systems from back in the day on NWN (well worth a visit) and this one by Nereng is a doozy. I really enjoyed my short trip in it.
However, at this point I began to become aware that I was now running up and down corridors in the mines without really any idea of where I was going. It also became obvious that the map of the mines was much bigger than I had anticipated and was divided into geographical areas and although I was steadily picking up objects and happy enough a thought began to gnaw at me.
I was in a labyrinth of sorts. Now, in the interests of full disclosure, I'm not great at many of the aspects of NWN - combat, puzzles, listening properly to long dialogue but if there's one thing that turns me off, it's a labyrinth. So run everything I say in this paragraph through that filter. First of all, there is no reason to believe that this is aimed at kids ( think I saw somewhere it might have been an entry for a BioWare module building comp) anyway so I'm in no way suggesting this is a failure for what it sets out to do. It certainly isn't. It's one of the modules I've had most fun reviewing. I just wonder if kids would be able to handle the feeling of not getting anywhere for very long. I couldn't and by the time I eventually arrived at the statue I was meant to talk to, I was starting to lose the joy of the opening few scenes. However, the finding of the object to complete the puzzle was easy enough and I thought would have gained me entry to what I supposed would be the final room. It didn't and I'm not sure why so I decided to give up at that point as I wouldn't reveal the ending anyway in a review.
Positive - This was a great little module overall. In many ways it's a hidden gem. I really enjoyed it. I'm not sorry I played it and got a lot of joy out of wandering round the Kobold camp sussing out the character traits. The cutscenes were beautifully manufactured and Nereng obviously knows ( knew?) his stuff. Elsewhere I've reviewed his token system for structuring a plot which I found great and really easy. The Kobolds were lovable, the quest straightforward, combat at the right level for a level 1 PC and several great bits of humour. No doubt for me this is suitable for, and would appeal to kids.
Less so- As above really. It depends on how your kid would react to a labyrinth without really knowing where you are going. My granddaughter for whom I created the Ruby module, reviewed elsewhere on this wiki, really needed a straightforward plot line and a pretty linear path to get there. In this labyrinth they might feel they're not getting anywhere and boredom could set in. It To get round this, it might be an idea to play through it yourself and get an idea of how the bits of the map fit together before playing through it with your kid so you can lessen the effect of the labyrinth. On the other hand, I might be in the minority and they breeze through the labyrinth without issue.
However, it really would be a shame if you didn't have a look at this module. There's a lot to enjoy about it and if you find out how to get into the last room please let me know and I'll add a bit to this review! This This module was last updated in 2014 and can be found here on the Vault.