Thief II: The Metal Age

Minimum Requirements
Operating System : Windows 95/98/ME/2000/XP
Processor : Intel® Pentium Processor 266 MHz
Ram : 48 MB of Ram
Vido : 8 MB DirectX® 7.0
Sound Card : DirectX® 7.0 Compatible
Hard Drive : 250 MB
Disc Drive : DVD-ROM 4x, CD-ROM 8x
Input Methods : Keyboard, Mouse
Media : CD (1)

Recommended Requirements
Processor : Intel® Pentium Processor 400 MHz
Ram : 64 MB of Ram
Vido : 16 MB DirectX® 7.0

Supported Chipsets
ATi Radeon™ : 7000 Series, 8500, 9000, 9200, 9250, 9500, 9550, 9600, 9700, 9800, X300, X550, X600, X700, X800, X850, X1050, X1300, X1550, X1600, X1650, X1800, X1900, X1950, HD2000, HD2400, HD2600, HD2900, HD3000, HD3400, HD3600, HD3850, HD3870, HD4000, HD4350, HD4550, HD4600, HD4700, HD4770, HD4800, HD4890, HD5700, HD5800, HD5970
nVIDIA™ Geforce® : 2 Series, 3 Series, 4 Series, FX 5 Series, 6 Series, 7 Series, 8300, 8400, 8500, 8600, 8800, 9400, 9500, 9600, 9800, GeForce 100 Series, GeForce 200 Series, GeForce 300 Series
Nvidia™ Quadro® : Quadro, Quadro2, Quadro4, Quadro FX Series
Intel™ Extreme Graphics : GMA 950, GMA X3000, GMA X3100

Responding to criticism of the original Thief, the missions in Thief II were designed much more around typical thief-like behavior, and much of the game is spent robbing the rich denizens of the City rather than raiding tombs and running from monsters, which was a common element in the first game. In fact, the player encounters few of the monsters from the original Thief, except for burrick heads mounted as trophies in some of the mansions; a few zombies, apemen and Hammer haunts.

The game follows a complex plot that includes solving a murder and infiltrating a cult established by Father Karras whose goal is to convert unwanted members of society into cyborg-like "children".

Looking Glass Studios released the sequel to Thief in 2000. Utilizing the same Dark engine that powered the original Thief, Thief II had an almost identical look and feel, with only minor graphical and programming improvements, such as colored lighting. The basic gameplay was also fundamentally similar to the original Thief, but many new elements had been added, including technological gadgets such as a remote eye camera. Other changes include an increase in the number of AI behaviors, and the addition of female guards and soldiers.

Responding to criticisms of the original Thief, in that more time was spent on combat than actually living up to the title of the game, the missions in Thief II were designed much more around typical thief-like behavior, and much of the game is spent robbing the rich denizens of the City rather than battling monsters. In fact, the player encounters almost none of the monsters from the original Thief except for burrick (dinosaur-like creatures) heads mounted as trophies in some of the mansions, a few zombies, undead and ghostly apparitions. The designers stated that unlike the original Thief, where levels were developed to suit the plot, in Thief II levels were designed first and making the plot work with them was somewhat of a retrofit.