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Lords of Magic-Special Edition

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 15 / 16
Date: November 15, 2002
Author: Amazon User

FOR PEOPLE WHO HAVEN'T PLAYED BEFORE:

This game is very exciting anc challenging, even on the easiest setting. You play a Lord (A barbarian, human, gnome, elf, dwarf, undead guy, etc.) who sets out on a perilous quest to slay the terrible Lord Balkoth, who is planning to (what else?) rule all of Urak with his undead army.

You start out with little of anything. Your first priority is to liberate your Great Temple, and then amass a large army to fight with.

This is a sort of turn based strategy game. You group your units into little groups, and select Champions to lead them. You'll need to spend and gain 3 resourses: Ale, Crystals, and Gold.
You also can direct little followers to work in the various buildings of your kingdom, to give you more recourses.

RIVAL LORDS: There are seven other lords as well, each building their own empire. Some like you, some hate your guts. There is a very good AI system they use, allowing you to barter and fight with them as you wish. The best part is slaying an enemy and then taking control of their empire as well!

GRAPHICS: The graphics are so-so. They aren't 3D, but they are beautiful and painting-like.

MUSIC: The music, I think, is beautiful, pulling you into the world of Urak. Sometimes haunting, sometimes thoughtful, it always makes you think. Why? I don't know.

COMBAT: This is really cool. No matter where you are, if you initiate combat, you zoom from a bird's eye veiw of the map to a close-combat realtime mode, where you can direct your troops into battle! The combat system is very developed. You can fight a number of enemies, explore a number of lairs and dungeons and caves, and invade a number of strongholds. You can pause the game a lot, though, so if you want more strategy, you can play it in a more turn-based fashion. You also have the option to Autocalc combat--where the computer automatically calculates the outcome for you, instead of animating it.

REPLAYABILITY: The game is very replayable. There are 62 different starting conditions, so that it's different nearly every time you play!

MULTIPLAY: The game lends itself well to multiplayer. I haven't tried this yet, but it looks great. I can't wait to try it over LAN!

MAP EDITOR: The game includes a map editor, which you can use for multiplayer or a special quest. This is lots of fun to try out.

FOR THOSE WHO HAVE PLAYED THE ORIGINAL GAME ALREADY:

The new Special Edition version offers even more features to try out!

LORD EDITOR: Now you can decide which artifacts, recources, creatures, even Champions and spells you start out with, using a point0buy system. Hey! Even more replayability!

LEGENDS OF URAK: An entirely different game in itself. I haven't done these yet, but they are cool to look at. 5 new quests--Including an Arthurian adventure where you play Merlin guding King Arthur, and a Beowulf epic...play a hobbit like creature named Beon and battle the vicous Golem!

LEGENDARY CREATURES: Now, every Faith can summon their own LEgendary Creature at the Great Temple! This is the coolest new thing of all! These include Ice Drake, Hydra, Fafnir, Pheonix, Giant SPider...

NEW UNITS: There are a whole lot of new units and monsters who are ready to take you on now. I still haven't found all of them.

PROS:

1. Great Strategy.
2. Nice Music.
3. Very Replayable.
4. A great Map Editor.
5. Intense Multiplayer.
6. 5 Cool Sub-Games.

CONS:

1. So-so graphics.
2. Very Difficult.

The funnest single-player game I've found so far.

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 9 / 9
Date: October 08, 2002
Author: Amazon User

This is an old game, but it's stayed very popular among fans, and still has a newsgroup at at Sierra's community page that is great for getting help.

Before I talk about why I think it's one of the best games out there, I'll let you know this: If you are looking for fast-click games, or kill-a-minute multiplayer, this isn't the right game for you. The multiplayer is slow, and best on direct cable, LAN, or modem.

The feel of the game is like an RPG, and lends itself to characterization, but there's no puzzle/clue/do-this-next kind of story line. Your chosen character and a few nameless friends (you can give them names) are thrown into a basic, simple situation (Bad Guy with magic is trying to kill everyone) with some complications (he's interrupting a 7-way war in progress, by trying to kill all the combatants, who wish he'd just go away and leave them to kill each other in peace) and some limitations (you can't raise much of an army until you prove you can kill something important). So you start with a simple quest. Find some big monument nearby that looks important, and kill everything inside. (Not to be confused with your own capital city, where people are likely to be surly but moderately helpful, and won't actually appear on screen, so there's nothing to kill). When you've found the right one (it's got an introduction message that fills the screen) and liberated it, the game changes. Suddenly you have renewable resources, new friends, a city at your disposal (more or less), and no one else tells you what to do any more. Literally. Except for the fact that someone's going to come looking for you eventually, and it would be a good idea to kill him when he does, there are absolutely no quest requirements for you to accomplish. You just explore, upgrade your buildings, and leave certain champions in training buildings to improve any new recruits or to rediscover forgotten spells. If you are more interested in assignments and puzzles, the game also includes a quest pack with a handful of quests with step-by-step objectives (but no way of stopping you if you decide to go the other way instead).

The game is turn-based, and moves to real-time only when you enter combat. The graphics are simple, like pictures in a story book, and the over-land music is nice but not loud or adrenalin-pumping. Different music plays depending on where you start, and combat music is more lively.

The landscape, people, and music work together to make you feel that this is a world worth defending against evil. Landscape ranges from lava and desert to swamp to meadows and grassland, and the landscape is 3D. An editor is provided so you can make your own maps. Some amazing results are possible. There is an extensive library of community-created maps available on-line from fan sites if you get tired of the default map.

The magic and team (Faith) system is robust, with 8 different magic schools and sets of available characters. Although the types of characters are predictable (warrior, thief, mage, foot soldier, cavalry, ranged weapon, scout, magic creatures), the differences from one Faith to the next mean that you could easily have Knights facing Demons, or Dwarven axe-throwers facing Skeletons and Dark Elves. There are 8 different versions of every unit, except for the cavalry (only 4) and the magic creatures (32, from will o' the wisps to gargoyles, to dragons, to a Lich). The Faiths are elemental: Earth/Air, Fire/Water, and arcane: Order/Chaos, Life/Death. The units are predicted by the Faith, so Earth gets Dwarves, Air gets Fairies, Chaos gets Barbarians, Order gets Knights, etc., but you can trade for units or capture capitals and training facilities as you expand.

Each faith has its own selection of spells, which can only be cast by a particular type of mage. Some of the spells have cool special effects, some of them just have a default flash or smoke ring, which might make it hard to tell what they've done. The spells range from Death's curse (light damage) and Life's Cure wounds (light healing) to Fire's Inferno (all units take deadly or near deadly damage), Death's Lost Soul (instant death, on contact, to any one enemy unit) and Life's Resurrection (restore any unit on battlefield to life). The spell books slowly become accessible, as you station mages in the library for "research."

The combat screen is technically challenging and may have resulted in some frustration in those who give up easily. Although the units will attack automatically if someone comes in range, they don't do their best work that way, and mages are entirely helpless (magic on command only). The difference between letting everyone do their thing and managing all aspects of combat usually range from losing everyone to coming out without losing anyone. There's a pause button, that should be used liberally. You can give commands and begin casting spells while paused, and they hold action until you un-pause. Units generally begin together, unless your army is extremly large, but they occasionally get cut off. The game automatically saves as you enter combat, so you have a chance to go back and redo fights to correct what you did wrong.

There are a handful of known bugs, but none of them significantly affect gameplay. Most of them can be worked around or even exploited to your advantage. If one of them is giving you grief, sierra's user newsgroup will quickly offer answers to your questions.

You are likely to find that when you first start playing, minor achievements will seem difficult and rewarding, but as you gain experience the range of abilities will increase, and you may begin to focus more on exploration than on survival.

The replayability of this game is extremely high, because there are 25 basic starting positions, 7 faiths x 3 character types + Evil Balkoth (after you beat him) + 3 other Death Lords available in custom games. Each of those positions can be customized with different starting resources, followers, spells, and artifacts, and of course, by playing different maps.

What's wrong with a little competition

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 6 / 7
Date: September 16, 2000
Author: Amazon User

First of all, this is not necessarily an easy game to play, at least from the strategic standpoint. I found the graphics great, the interface very workable, and the flexibility of the possible scenarios outstanding. The game can also be used with initial defaults, if you don't want to be flexible. The game is a basic game of good vs evil, with eight (8) "Faiths", or groups of people in the fictitious world of Urak. Each 'faith' has it's strengths and weaknesses. I prefer the Order faith, but that's because I like the Medievel group of Knights, Paladins, and Wizards. This game was not easy for me in the beginning. I got knocked around pretty good when I first started. But, after a couple of times of getting beat up by a Hydra, I learned pretty quick. I'm glad the game was challenging. That's why I buy a game, to be challenged a little and to test my brain. This game can definitely be complicated, with all the possible characters and scenarios. For instance, each faith has its own version of a warrior, a thief, and a mage user. That's 24 different beginning characters types. Not to mention the ability to choose what the beginning character start with in the way of experience, or other characters. Then, there are 8 different maps that come with the game, and a map editor that allows you to create your own.(This part wasn't always easy, though). I have won adventures taking as short as 40 'days'and as many as 400. Somehow, I get more fun from the 400 day adventures. 1.(The regular game starts with all 8 groups of people taking turns in sequence. When all groups have had a turn, that's one 'day'. this takes about a 30-60 seconds after the player is finished with his/her turn, barring any conflicts)

Perhaps the finest videogame released to date

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 7 / 9
Date: February 09, 2001
Author: Amazon User

The first thing that catches you about Lords of Magic is the music. There were a number of times I'd pause the game at night and leave it on just to have the music playing in the background as I slept. Yes, the soundtrack is THAT good. Once you've digested that, the ease of gameplay becomes LoM's most attractive (and important) feature. LoM is one of the games that lifted battle control from the old Darklands model, and rightly so; there's a reason Darklands still has a core of followers after almost eight years on the market. The maps are gorgeous, the sound even better, the game easy to play and engaging. The only drawback is that the voices get repetitive at times, but the developers thankfully included an option to turn them off. Few games are this good at what they do and deliver what they do as simply and attractively.

A great fantasy game with potential!

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 4 / 6
Date: October 11, 2000
Author: Amazon User

Though this game has many flaws (AI etc.), it still is a great source of entertainment. The variety of units and champions produces great replay value. I had a lot of fun playing this game, and I recommend it to anyone and everyone who like games. Although it's a stragedy game, the graphics are still top quality. And unlike many other fantasy/stragedy games, you can see your units in combat. Close up too. For those of you who love stragedy/fantasy games, this is a must buy, you'll enjoy it a whole lot! For those of you who aren't... Well just buy it anyway, or else you'll miss out on one of Sierra's greatest products. (Thanks Amazon for carring this great game!)

A Truly Magical Game...

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 5 / 6
Date: November 22, 2000
Author: Amazon User

The title says it all. This game has a feel of magical and fantastical proportions. From the graphics, to the music, to the units. Everything lends to an atmosphere unrivaled in any other game.

The strategic aspects of the game are not great, but the tactical combat is excellent. Battles can be hard until you learn a few tricks, such as using parrying warriors as decoys, or flying missile units.

The best part about the Special Edition(the only one you can get), though, are the epic quests. They are TRULY epic, with two that are REALLY REALLY epic. My favorite is the good old fashioned Arthur quest. You get to play as Arthur, Merlin, Lancelot, and the rest of gang through a story derived from Sir Thomas Malory's version of the Arthurian legend.

All in all, this game is worth every penny you spend on it.

The Demo

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 3 / 6
Date: May 31, 2000
Author: Amazon User

I first started out playing the demo I found it very difficult because there were so many limits so when I got The real thing it was very easy so biginners should start with the demo.

I can't stop playing!!

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 3 / 4
Date: August 14, 2001
Author: Amazon User

This was the first turnbased strategy game I played, so I might not have much auuthority on how tottally awesome it is, but I just want to say that this game will keep you coming back for more. One frustrating thing is that even if load up all your followers into your capitol You have to wait days and days(that's gametime AND realtime) for enough resources to manage a sizable army. Also, it seems that nobody likes you and you have to keep giving away your money to get them to like you. I spent 60 of every resource on the water side and they're still neutral with me. Overall this is an addicting game and even realtime gamers who don't like the boardgame style of this will enjoy it.

"Lords of Magic SE" The Struggle for Urak ...

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 4 / 4
Date: July 21, 2002
Author: Amazon User

These are dark times for the good people of Urak. Long ago, Golgoth, the terrible god of death, created Balkoth the Destroyer. Balkoth and his army of dark elves swept across the world, killing everything before them. At last, a mighty hero imprisoned the dark lord in an amulet. The amulet was locked away, never to be found. 1000 years later, Golgoth thought that the world was ripe for another era of blood and darkness. He summoned forth Balkoth and bestowed upon him a mighty artifact of power. Today, the dark elves continue to sweep across the world. Urak needs another hero who can defeat Balkoth and restore order to the lands.

"Lords of Magic Special Edition" is one of the best games I have ever played. It lets you take the idea of the mighty adventurer you've always wanted to be and make him or her come to life. To begin your battle with Balkoth, you must select a lord. Your lord is the backbone of your civilization. The type of lord you pick will determine the strengths and weaknesses of your army.

You can choose your lord to be a warrior, a theif, or a mage (wizard.) Warrior lords have the ability to rally their troops and increase their morale in battle. Warriors are the undisputed masters of melee combat. Theives prefer to attack with ranged weapons. Though they aren't as strong as warriors, they can capture, steal from, or spy on enemy lords. Mages are powerful in the ways of the magic and lore of Urak. They can cast a vareity of powerful spells, but I strongly suggest to keep them out of the fray during battles.

Another aspect of your lord that must be chosen is the kind of faith that you wish him to worship. Each faith also has its own strengths and weaknesses. Some faiths include earth, air, life, and death.

The most important thing to do in the game, besides defeating Balkoth, is to free your Great Temple. Your Great Temple is the gathering place of the followers of your religion. When Balkoth came to power, wicked monsters defiled its sacred walls. Once your temple is free, it will attract followers to work in your cities producing resources.

In "Lords of Magic," you must decide whether to control the world through military conquest or through alliances and treaties with other faiths. Trade can be conducted with allies and can also improve your relationships with unfreindly faiths.

Once your army is strong enough, you must do battle with the wicked dark elves. Perhaps if you are a mighty enough lord, and have the blessings of the gods, you might just defeat Balkoth and restore the world to the way it used to be.

Fire is good

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 4 / 4
Date: December 04, 2003
Author: Amazon User

I have had this game for a year, but I have still not beat it. It is tough, but it is a fun tough that you get addicted to. You start the game by picking a class for your champion-Warrior, Mage, or Thief. Next you pick a faith, all with different strengths and weaknesses. You have to fight monsters in caves to build up your experience, and then take your Great Temple. That is just the very beginning. The graphics for this game are not the best considering the games that are out now like Halo and the Matrix, but the gameplay is what keeps me coming back to my computer. I have always liked strategy games and fiction; this game combines the two. I like the turn-based playing system because you don't have to worry about being attacked while your trying to do something like in Age of Empires. Resource gathering and troop producing is more realistic in this game than in any other one I've played. The special Quest are great. This is a game you do not want to use cheats on, because they make the game dumb. I give it 5 stars, the gameplay overshadowing the poor graphics.

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