Sierra On-Line - Press News - Coming Soon Magazine

SIERRA ON-LINE RAISING HELL FOR DIABLO FANS! HELLFIRE, THE EXCLUSIVE AUTHORIZED DIABLO ADD-ON DISK, BLAZING TO STORES THIS FALL

All-New Eight-Level Add-On Disk Introduces New Quests, New Monsters and Plenty of Original Spells and Surprises

Bellevue, WA, September 4, 1997 -- Sierra On-Line, the marketshare leader of the PC entertainment industry, announces that it is developing and publishing Hellfire, the only authorized add-on disk to Blizzard Entertainment's runaway blockbuster hit, Diablo. Scheduled for release in November 1997, Hellfire adds to the original Diablo universe a stunning array of enhancements and gameplay features for the single-player mode, including a new character class, additional quests, monsters, weapons, objects, spells and artifacts. Developed by Sierra's Synergistic Software division, Hellfire is the only add-on based on the original Diablo program code, resulting in a true expansion of the original game's storyline, characters and feature sets.

Hellfire introduces players to new quests revolving around a powerful demon known as Na-krul. A creature who once served as Diablo's chief minion and strongest ally, Na-krul and his co-horts rebelled against Diablo and, after a failed attempt to overthrow their master, were banished to the Void. Freed by an evil sorceror, Na-krul has set up command in the ancient Demon Crypts and has once again initialized his plans to destroy Diablo and rule Hell for himself. Gathering together a small army of never-before-seen monsters, Na-Krul now poses a threat almost as deadly as Diablo himself.

Hellfire's quest ushers players into the realms of 20 new monsters, challenging novice and advanced players alike to find entirely new methods of combat. Players will confront The Lich, an Undead, skeletal sorceror; the Psychorb, a floating, be-tentacled eyeball that fires spells; the Hork Demon, a gnarled monstrosity that attacks viciously in between "horking up" little Hork Spawn demons; and the Grave Digger, a shovel-toting zombie.

With 30 new magic items and five unique new spells - including Immolation (fires fireballs in all directions), Lightning Wall (generates a wall of lightning), and Warp (teleports player to the nearest exit in a dungeon) - players are offered new ways of defeating the offending opponents and developing their character's skills and abilities. Players will also find new unique items, armor and weapons in the quest, offering a greater variety of strategies and tactics.

Also new to the Hellfire player is a new player character class - The Monk. With a mix of abilities not found in the other classes, this mysterious priest of an unknown faith comes wandering from distant lands with a plethora of defenses up his sleeves.

Hellfire will be available this Fall in Windows 95 CD-ROM format in November at most computer and software retail chains nationwide for a suggested retail price of $29.95. The game will also be available through Sierra Direct at (800) 757-7707 or SierraWeb. Hellfire requires the full original Diablo program.

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Sierra On-Line is one of the original developers and largest worldwide publishers of interactive entertainment, productivity and educational software. The company recently merged with CUC Int'l, a technology-driven, membership-services company that provides access to travel, shopping, auto, dining, home improvement, financial and other services to 66.3 million consumers worldwide. The company's common stock is traded on the NYSE under the symbol CU. Sierra's corporate headquarters are located in Bellevue, WA.

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