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Feh

1 Rating: 1, Useful: 2 / 8
Date: January 18, 2002
Author: Amazon User

Ok. First I want to say this was the worst game I have ever played. I think it is awful! AWFUL! The graphics stink, the music is bad, it is practically impossible to win a battle without taking weeks(!) to build your army,you have to wait for the computer to take its turn, you can never seem to click on the unit you want, the map is dumb and keeps repeating itself, the menus are hard to understand, the icons for the units are worse than the graphics.

In short, I consider the... I paid for this an overpayment.(I got it on sale at Office Depot)Spend your money on Starcraft instead.

Feh!

Awful

1 Rating: 1, Useful: 1 / 8
Date: April 07, 2002
Author: Amazon User

This is possibly the worst game ever created. The graphics are awful, the music is depressing, the menu system is complicated and the battles are boring, unrealistic and difficult to manage. The only reason I got this game was because i saw it for 5 bucks. I had seen it in the store at retail(30$) and decided to wait. I am glad i did. I am a big fan of strategy games and RPG's, but this is just plain BAD. I would have given it negative stars if possible.It so utterly bad it is almost funny. Don't pay for this!...

How awful this game really is.

1 Rating: 1, Useful: 1 / 8
Date: July 08, 2002
Author: Amazon User

This is the worst game, don't even think of buying it unless you're a total "Dungeons and Dragon's" [lover]. It stinks, don't buy it.

Not as good as I had hoped

2 Rating: 2, Useful: 3 / 9
Date: April 09, 2000
Author: Amazon User

Lords of Magic looked like a pretty good game when I read the back of the box in the store but I found it to be extremely frustrating when I played it. It seems as though the computer is starting out with many more resources because I could never catch up to my neighbors in terms of units and resources. Waiting times between turns is way too long, as is waiting for a unit to heal. Also the lack of a small map on the bottom of the screen makes it really hard to orient yourself in the bigger picture. Also, the map stays basically the same no matter how many times you play. Sometimes a few things move but basically it's all the same.

Difficult To Love, But Worth The Effort

3 Rating: 3, Useful: 10 / 16
Date: July 22, 2000
Author: Amazon User

Find a demo first! What fans of LOM don't mention is that it is a SLOW paced game for a looong time. You start out with very little in the way of resources - either money or troops, and even with an unbroken chain of victories you'll go forty/fifty turns before your army starts to amount to more than three units! I didn't find the tactical game (the "heart of the game" according to one reviewer) all that compelling - the battlefields are similar, your opponents are generally more experienced and more numerous, and after dozens of encounters recapturing outposts, mines, etc. from random marauders, I am thankful for the autocalc option. I am frustrated by the long time(two/three turns)needed for my handful of troops (basically, my entire army!) to recover from their wounds since more marauders and enemy faiths continue to move through my land with impunity. The artifacts, experience bonuses, character improvements, all of those details that make you want to play one more turn, are just not impressive! Tiny amulets, unusuable potions, weird spell buttons, clumsy unit grouping/ungrouping, are all put offs. I've grown to enjoy LOM but I invested a lot of time in it, and I don't know whether many will want to do the same.

Could have been great, but is merely good.

3 Rating: 3, Useful: 8 / 9
Date: September 28, 2001
Author: Amazon User

This game is very much worth buying at its listed price. This game has so much potential, but is somewat awkward and buggy in its interface. Let me give you some examples:

1. Real time combat: As mentioned in the editorial review, this is extremely problematic and awkward. Because it is based on a 3/4 view, you lose sight of some of your units, and often it seems they do not immediately respond to your commands. Units end up in a scrum at the center of the screen, and don't readily disengage or advance. This is dissapointing considering "Lords of the Realm" which was not perfect either, had a much cleaner interface, and it is an older game. Lords of Magic would have been a much better game if the battle view was adjustable, and the speed of combat as well. If the units were more "Diablo" sized, or somewhere in between, it would have been a vast improvment. Also in ths same area, when entering dungeons and the like, your party can randomly turn up in strange places on the battle scape map, e.g. your sorceress is on the other side of the map all by herself, next to a group of trolls, when all her protection is on the other side separated by a physical barrier like water. This can mean certain death for a character you have spent much time developing, and makes no sense. If your party goes in as a unit they should appear that way on the battlescape. This is just poor design.

2. Hero Status bars: On the "overland" view, your heros have a pop up status card, showing their items, level, etc. These are so sparse that once you gain multiple magical items you have to create new heros just to have someone to off-load the items to in order to take an inventory of your items. When you have many parties on the board, this is maddening!

3. Overland spells: There is no feedback on overland spells (spells you cast while in the "world view"). You have no way of telling whether they worked, or what the affect was. ALso there are some spells that seem to not work at all, like transporting a magical item via magical means.

4. Fortesses: These are far to weak, and are awkward to defend. If any of you have played Lords of the Realm you know that castles are easily defended. Not in this game. There is no ability for your archers/javeliners to man the walls of the castle. You can direct them to that area, but often they just stand there or run around. They also gain no advantage from the height of the walls or the cover provided thereby. You just end up with a scrum at the front gate with everyone bunched together like Mattel vibrating football.

This game is worth playing just to be able to use Balkoth after you complete it. The spells that "Death" can cast are really cool. Overall, I recommend this game at it's current listed price. It has some beautiful graffics, interesting story, and combines party based roll playing with RTS and turn based strategy. With some conceptual changes, this could be the greatest game ever.

Intellectually higher than most, but very slow paced...

3 Rating: 3, Useful: 5 / 6
Date: February 12, 2001
Author: Amazon User

This game is basically a take-off on other turn-based stratigic games. Be expected to read through *and practically memorize* a large, over 100 page, manual. The music and animation is very well done, I admit. Basically, you get to pick one of several elements *no suprise there* and compete against others based on turns. You are expected to gain power, political standing, and skill as you proceed. Your ultimate goal is to unite with others and defeat the dark underworld-esc army. It's a pretty simple concept, but very drawn out. If you do love these stratigic games that give you ample mount of time to plan out and conceptualize whatever your next move may be, this is a good buy for you. However, be warned that this requires a lot of time and effort if you want to master it.

Unused Potential

3 Rating: 3, Useful: 4 / 7
Date: July 03, 2000
Author: Amazon User

At first I really was enjoying this game, but it's gotten old after I beat it the first 3 or so times and I began to realize a bunch of things concerning usability. Maybe I'm just not using all the features to their fullest advantage though, so I'll give the game the benefit of the doubt. As for the interface, there are plenty of ways to make gameplay much more smooth. I find it primitive and, if possible, at the same time it is overcomplicated. I can't say I'm an expert at this, but it seems from reviews I've read concerning other software (concerning "intuitive" interfaces) that the interface can best be described as not at all intuitive. The saving system and the restrictions imposed when one gives commands in combat are my biggest pet peeves.

What the game lacks in functionality, it makes up for in amazing graphics and music. Both are truly magnificent. The quests may give you a challenge where the normal mode at times doesn't.

I enjoyed Lords of Magic but I'm sure I could have found a game that was more worth my time and money.

It's all right, a little dissapointing

3 Rating: 3, Useful: 2 / 6
Date: July 03, 2000
Author: Amazon User

The game looked good on the back of the box, but what I found inside was a little dissapointing. The computers intelligence was less than flattering and the way you went about collecting resources was boring. (Kill, plunder kill) Needs some work. The game tries to do too much with too litlle. Great graphics and though, nice variety of spells.

Noah

Good game, not the finest

3 Rating: 3, Useful: 2 / 5
Date: May 15, 2005
Author: Amazon User

I remember getting this game a while back when I was younger. The game was difficult to master, which I attributed to my young age, but I loved to play it because of the nice atmosphere it gave; beautiful, fantasy surrounding, pleasant music, pretty landscape (the 3D terrain had an enhancing effect over other strategy RPGs I had played on the PC before). Overall, I enjoyed the game a lot.
Moving back to the present day, I had lost my copy and was itching to play it again, having all but forgotten what the game was like. My girlfriend and I had gotten hooked on Age of Wonders, and I wanted to investigate similar games for her.
I ordered LoM SE on Amazon not too long after. After installing and playing the game for a bit, I was a little dissapointed. I was still the game that I remember, but it seemed deficient in ways I hadn't noticed before.
For example, the graphics did not age well. I can go back and play much older games from my childhood such as Quest for Glory I & II (SCI engine) and still marvel at how beautiful the graphics are despite only 16 available colors and a screen resolution of 320x240. This is double edged, because while I feel that LoM has pretty graphics, they still seem to work out poorly in the long run.
Secondly, I still find the gameplay to be difficult. I'm not a kid anymore, and I have since mastered other fantasy RPGs, but the system in LoM seems a bit awkward and difficult to master. I couldn't play it for more than a half hour.
Overall, I think it's a good game. Even though it's not my cup of tea anymore, I can see that lots of other people really love it, so if you like the genre then I give it a good recommendation. The price tag is very cheap, and it's well worth a grab.

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