I still have the original, in store copies of both these games, purchased from a Babbages store in the early 90s. Hell, I'm old enough to remember when Shattered Lands first came out, and then Wake Of The Ravager. Shattered Lands remains the better of these two; it's better paced, vast, and relatively bug free. It's a top-down, turn-based role-playing game that I daresay Baldur's Gate owes its life to and only perfected. The most positive thing you can say about this game is how exotic and unique it is. You really can't beat the world of Athas for creativity. This isn't Swords and Sorcerer, knights in shining armor, rescue the maiden middling tropes spread across a hundred stories you've ever heard. Athas is Darwinian philosophy as a world-view. Water and metal are scarce, sorcerer-kings rule as near literal gods over their city-states, and nothing is guaranteed. Honor is kept at a minimum. Altruism is near unheard of. You'll span a story from starting as a gladiator slave to leading an army, and make no mistake, this game is vast. Wake Of The Ravager, its sequel, often gets a bad rap. It was rushed, shipped out with bugs, and had an awkward CD audio rock soundtrack that, nonetheless, in my opinion, added to its appeal. I would like to add that the writing in this game is top-notch; really, the lore is superb and doesn't get enough credit. I'd even put it above Shattered Lands, quality wise, if you can navigate the interface. People comment on you barging into their rooms, there are dozens of colorful, engaging, and realistic NPCs that are a wonder to meet-- hell, most of the charm for me was the notion that two people in this world are having a lively dialogue. Matthias Morthen put it best when he said, "A cool drink of water and a good friend to chat with. What more could one ask for?"
