Age of Wonders: Shadow Magic

I admit first that I have never played Heroes of Might and Magic, primarily because I am not a massive fan of high fantasy (more a spaceships-and-lasers man). However, since buying this game on here a few months ago, I have been deeply addicted, and astounded by the variety given to the player. This variety takes the form of a ridiculous number of creatures, spells, terrain types, customisable trinkets for RPG-esque heroes, and an impressive (though not as limitless) supply of scenarios, and a map editor to boot. The only less-varied part is the city-building, which has largely common building types for all races, but this does not detract from the need to think about your supply lines and income. The AI is not infallible, and has a tendency to spam units, but that is not to say it doesn't provide a challenge - fighting off superior numbers with clever positioning, spell casting and use of abilities is immensely satisfying. Sieges, although repetitive, showcase the variety of this game nicely, as there are many different ways of attacking or circumventing city walls. My only other niggle is the immense size of the campaign maps - it can take ages to reach an objective, for which the triggers aren't necessarily obvious, only to realise that the next one is all the way back over where you just came from, or at the end of a tunnel you missed somewhere along the way. To summarise, this is a must-have for any 4X lover, and has immense replayability thanks to the skirmish-type scenarios alongside the main campaign. I won't give this an emphatic 'must have' status because the campaign isn't perfect, but I give it 5 stars because *I* like it a lot.

Age of Wonders Shadow Magic is one of the highest rated games on GOG, and rightfully so. It has a brilliant, sprawling campaign with a story that matters and memorable protagonists, gorgeous hand-drawn worlds, a Hollywood-worthy soundtrack, and a masterfully crafted combat system that's so polished, balanced, and flexible that you'll never run out of awesome new things to experiment with. Sometimes your lowly halfling slingers, with the right tactics, can take out a mighty dragon, or you may maneuver two well-equipped heroes to destroy an entire army, aided by your magic wielding Wizard atop his high tower, miles away. The possibilities are endless, and every new scenario is exciting, challenging, and offers a measure of novelty. That "one more turn" urge is built into the core of the game. Some excellent user made campaigns and mods are available, too, from medieval Europe maps to Middle Earth campaigns. It's a timeless classic, even when I've owned Age of Wonders III for years, a masterpiece in its own right, I still find myself coming back to Shadow Magic, it's just so unique, so full of personality. Highest Recommendation.

For those strategy gamers out there who have ever enjoyed turn based games, this is the best. The visuals and music have already been lauded, but I find the best featrue to be the races. Each race is totally unique and has a different set of units. The flip side is that, despite massive differences in races and styles, they all remain balanced and fun. Unlike other games, Master of Magic being a notorious example, thee is no race which cannot be played well, and there is no game breakingly over powered race. When this is combined with the depth of strategy from the immersive tactical combat to your control of an economic empire, you have a game where every choice matters. The basics are easy to pick up, but the tactical elements and economic options combined with the variation of choices of race and magic make this a game you can devote endless time to master. My only complaint is that the CPU AI is questionable at best. A great multiplayer game, get it for a friend and you have endless possiblities between custom and random maps.

I have played the AoW series since their respective releases, ans I still play AoW Shadow Magic a lot. The best of the series, it offers brilliant and gripping gameplay. It plays very well on laptop computers, with graphics that are charming. Aged, yes, but like some other games (UFO: Enemy Unknown for example) it is the gameplay that makes this gem special. Never get bored of playing campaigns, scenarios or random maps against the AI or human players (AI is good, although if you are a crack, winning is possible even at the highest settings). Highly reccomended, if you do not have this copy as a fan of TBS games, get it now!

Awesome fantasy game. Great for multiplayer sessions.Create your own magic kingdom and fight other mages with your unique set of spells, magic knights, and your own ingenious gaming strategy. AI is very hard to beat on singleplayer