Etherlords

It's ok but nothing special. Etherlords II is much better for me because it has more RPG-elements. Mechanics with casles in this one are so-so.

I was really intrigued by this concept of combining Heroes of Might & Magic with Magic: The Gathering, and it's not a bad game, but as many others have said, it is incredibly difficult. I have only tried the "Good" campaign so far, but in the second mission after the tutorial, you are playing the faction with the absolute worst starting spells against two opponents, together with an ally who does absolutely nothing, and if he dies, the mission is lost (but of course, you have to defeat both opponents). So, after some time, one of the opponents marches in with a high-level hero and starts smashing the ally's completely defenseless castle (the ally has some heroes sitting in forts, doing nothing, but they would not be able to stop the enemy, anyway). There is just no way to get there in time AND level up your own hero enough to realistically beat the enemy. I've looked for youtube playthroughs and found exactly one, who almost gave up on this mission, and he is way more patient than I am. He doesn't even have a video of him beating it, just one where he fails for two hours and then a second one where he rants about how awful this mission is and explains the strategy that eventually worked for him. I've read that it is supposed to get easier after the third (?) mission, but I don't think I'll ever know.

Many years ago I played Etherlords 2 -- fell in love! Later played the first Etherlords. Clumsier and more frustrating gameplay -- but somehow irresistably addictive.... Couldn't stop until I've beaten the campaign:] Worth my time (and money) re-playing it again, now on GOG. Etherlords IS a Good Old Game. If you have any doubts -- skip it, and go straight for Etherlords 2.

As much as I enjoy the combination of Magic: The Gathering and Heroes of Might and Magic, this game is basically unplayable for me, because of balance and difficulty issues. I don't play games because I want to get angry, and if you don't either, then I suggest not picking up this game.

I got this game series when I bought a war chest collection. The gameplay felt like a TBS RPG mixed with enchanting environments and nice lore. I like it despite a few graphical and gameplay flaws.