- No new single scenario maps, and since there was far too few (with a size larger than S or M) in the ordinary verison, this was sorely needed.

- No new towns or creatures - always adds some new fun.

- No improvements like new spells (town portal sorely needed for instance) or added creature upgrades (without which the game lost much of it's fun).

- No random map generator - which could have helped on the map problem.

- No bug correction, as for example the problem that at high playing difficulty the neutral forces are far to powerfull - so strong that the computer never gets to flagging it's mines. Thus, the problem isn't eliminating the computer, but getting past the neutral forces into it!

Well then, what do you get? New campaigns, which is no great bonus because the durability of the game lies in the single scenarios. 8 new artifacts, which is unimportant, because most of the artifacts in the old game never came into play (apparantly, none of the (large) single scenario maps had even one relic placed on them!?). And a multiplayer expansion, which might be the only really useful thing (I never played multiplayer, but I know that many others do) - therefore 2 stars.

In the times of Heroes 3, it was unthinkable that I wouldn't buy any new expansion on the date of release. Now, I doubt that I will even buy this at reduced price!

"The weakest HoMM expansion so far", Considering the previous Heroes of Might and Magic Expansions (Price of Loyalty, Armageddon Blade and Shadow of Death), I have had pretty high expectations for this expansion. While I enjoyed playing it very much, I highly doubt that it is worth the [money].

The new expansion includes the following features:

* Multiplayer support (also available as a free download from the 3DO site)
* Six campaigns
* Four new monsters
* Several new buildings
* 15 new artifacts

Pros:

* The six campaigns were designed much better than the original maps. The designers took into account the terrible A.I., and tweaked their maps accordingly. The new maps are much more linear (probably to avoid the A.I. cheating with the Fog of War), and have a deffinite RPG feel to it. In fact, I consider this expansion to be a role-playing game with strong strategy elements, not the other way round.

* Some of the new buidings - arenas of two types - add to the fun factor to the game. These arenas will grant a hero a level when he (alone) defeats a number of dragons.

Cons:

* Serious bugs in multiplayer allow for lots of cheating. For example, players are able to move units between towns instantly, due to one of the more serious bugs.

* Gameplay of 20-30 hours for single player does not justify the price.

* Random map generator still not included.

* User maps created when this expansion is installed will not run on HoMM4 without the expansion, even if the new elements are not included.

Conclusion:
If you are a HoMM fan, wait till the price drops... before going out and buying it.