Bought this game. Instead of trying to write a review here is some straight up info. The game looks great, in some ways. I remember the Balrog demon looking incredibly awesome, smoke and ashes with the glowing embers underneath the skin, very awesome looking. However character's seem a bit too small, move oddly. The gameplay mechanics are also very nice, the turn-based combat is fun. However the game is a bit loose. Especially once you get to the temple, it is difficult to know what you are supposed to be doing or where you are going. The temple is huge, but it needs some direction. NPC interaction is fairly minimal but interesting enough. This isn't the forgotten realms D&D setting, so the lore may be a little confusing. Not too sure on the voice acting either, the accent seems odd but I guess that is part of the setting too. Would rate this 3.5 stars. If you like hardcore RPG games then you might like this. If you like an excellent narrative and simpler gameplay (like Baldur's Gate 2) well it might be technically fun, but a little hard to get in to.
I first played this years and years ago, picked it up as a repackaged "classic". I have played it through many times since and in my opinion is the best game is all the (Heroes of) Might & Magic series. Why this game is good: 1) The amount of content is quite amazing. Along the lines of Baldur's Gate 2. Everywhere you go there is an interesting dungeon or quest to do. It is also quite a decently sized game. Unlike M&M7 which felt a little short. 2) Unbalanced fun. Before later games made all the balance and design changes it was like this. The power levels of mage characters is boggling at high levels, yet you won't stomp through enemies, they are equally powerful. Even when you get the secret weapons and can mow through dragons it still feels fun. The balance just feels quite fun by mid-late game. Also by very high levels you won't even deign to walk any more :P 3) Graphics hold up ok. While the game uses sprites + simple 3D terrain that honestly looks ugly, the resolution is enough that it is playable without feeling "small" like some other older games. 4) turn based combat :D. The combat is hard, press enter to slow it down, it makes a huge difference. Not like modern games that dumb it down enough you don't need a pause function. Problems: 1) make sure all characters start with bow skill. The first roughly 8 levels you can't punch through a wet tissue. Also be prepared to visit the temple for healing a lot. Once you get past that hurdle the game becomes great. 2) Ugly graphics, as I said, the resolution should be fine, just the sprites are jagged and ugly and the world shows the polygons clearly. The game is great, a lot of fun. Also by writing this review I feel like playing this again, it's that good!
