Mike 'txa1265' Anderson writes a retrospective on the 1998 title Hexplore over at Gear Diary.  Here's an introductory snip:

Hexplore was released at the end of August 1998, sandwiched between the summer releases of games like Might & Magic VI and the fall release of Baldur’s Gate. So even at release it could easily be called a ‘filler’ game, and certainly falls into the realm of ‘Diablo Clones’ that were just starting to become a popular part of the gaming landscape. The story is pretty basic, but presents an interesting scenario. You play as Mac Bride, a Scottish adventurer joining the Crusades circa 1000AD. As you journey to join up, you come across the destroyed village of Zarko and monsters on the loose in the region. As you investigate further you discover that you need to find and destroy the evil sorcerer Garkham. Along the way you can recruit three party members – a warrior, an archer, and a sorcerer. Yes, there is magic in this alternate-history middle-age world.