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For Age of Wonders: Shadow Magic (PC), 5 customer reviews collected from 1 e-commerce sites, and the average score is 4.4.

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5.9.2003

The Age of Wonders World is in a mess. Ravaged by the wizard wars that took place in Age of Wonders 2, the land has become battered and bruised. A new emperor has risen to direct the destiny of humanity and wizards have become an outlawed and hunted group.Worse still, the intensity of the wizard wars have led to the discovery of the shadow realms and its occupants the shadow demons would clearly like to make the normal world its own.Age of Wonders: Shadow Magic is technically Age of Wonders two and a half, being a fully reworked game that uses the same interface and structure as Age of Wonders 2.The premise of the game is fantasy turn based strategy fare, pitching you as overall wizard commander of a race is determined to heal,bend or break the world.It sounds simple enough, but add to the mixing pot a number different races that all have unique armies and abilities, seven different schools of magic which can be be researched and mixed and matched, towns that can be built to depend and supply your ambitions, deities that are privy to hand out quests that are rewarding if successfully completed but punishing for dismal failures and the simple task becomes more complex. This is a game that focuses on tactics, nerve and generalship - heroes often emerge during games to lead your armies, super units to lead the shock troops that grow in experience and can carry items in a fantasy but very real feeling and deadly world.Far from being a quick knock off to make money, Age of Wonders: Shaow Magic adds features not included in the original Age of Wonders 2 that should attract old and new members alike.For those who are interested and want to play the game a new tutorial mode has been included which leads you gently through the game concepts and actions in a light hearted way but never treating you like an idiot.Three new races have been included which add and compliment the original goblins, humans, orcs and others with their own units and abilities: The previously mentioned shadow demons, unknown Syrons and the Roaming Nomands, which have the ability to pack up their town in a caravan and move location to a safer haven.For those who like who like quick games or do not want to play with the shipped map editor, Shadow Magic includes a random map generator should help to while away the time. The maps are not as high quality as some of the hand crafted editor maps, but still are good enough to play through should you wish to do so.The single player mode follows the quest of various wizards to mend the world and is told in an enticing style, drawing you into the plot as you play the game and keeping you hooked to the end.The real meat of the game for online fans is multiplayer mode, which allows tactics depending to be developed and carried out against real people, ranging from mass diplomacy with other players, stealth like ravaging of towns or full brute force tactics. A variety of game modes should keep people entertained for a long while.The only real downside to the whole game is that in the released 1.0 version there is a bug in the Tactical Combat mode and nvidia drviers for Nvidia based chipsets will not work if the driver version is above 43.45 - although the driver issue is not entirely the fault of the game itself. The tactical bug has been fixed in the 1.1 patch which can be downloaded from a patch file server or the main website, and the nvidia driver issue is being worked on.Overall, I highly reccommend the game to turn based strategy players or those interested in fantasy games generally, as the rich storyline, dynamic world and the easily understandble interface makes the game worth playing for a long time.
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4.2.2005

If there ever was a game that came close to being the equivalent of a masterpiece, this is it. Age of Wonders 2 and its expansion are one of the best fantasy games I have ever played. The games mechanics are excellently balanced, so that any race you play you will enjoy it. Personally, I love the way the dark elves and elves were done. Simply the best races in the game. The game has a huge amount of depth, in terms of lore. Every unit and race has a background. The game rivals Warcraft 3 in terms of background information. Units have ineresting abilities, and can be used in various tactical ways. The game also offers a wealth of magical items, and even lets you make your own.The heroes are interesting and the wizards are powerful to the point that they are near godhood. Of course this doesn't mean the game is easy, as, afterall, you are competing against other wizards. The aid of summons (often powerful magical beings, such as the all powerful Black Angel) is essential to achieve success, and only a wizard can call these nasties from the outer planes.Mechanically, the game is very good. As I said before, it is very well balanced. The fact that you can control your entire kingdom (better known as Domain in the game) via wizard towers is very cool. The AI is very good, although it can't beat good ol' human ingenuity (in which case diplomacy really shines through). Nevertheless, the computer is at least fun to challenge. I have only one complaint, and that is that your wizards can't level up like normal heroes. Yes, they have magic, and yes, you can assign them powerful items, yet they should be able to level.The game is also a work of art from a graphical and aural point of view. Although isometric and not true 3D, a huge amount of detail has gone into unit and background design. The game really is a pleasure to look at. Spells are fluid and animate nicely. The interface is easy to use and intuitive. As for the music, that is even better. It truly immerses you into the game. The best I have ever heard in a game.All in all, this is a classic game, outshining even Heroes of Might and Magic. A true gem on any fantasy gamer's shelf. Beware, though, as the game can get addictive (like most games of its kind). I wish I could rate it higher. Note that this game is strategic in every meaning of the word. If you are the type who likes fast hack and slash RTS, this isn't for you. If you are someone who wants to play an artfully designed fantasy game though, then by all means buy AoW 2 and SM.
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8.11.2003

Though not a fan of Strategy games myself, i was absolutely hooked on this game the moment i started playing. The graphics are very smooth, the challenges are of just the right diffuculty, and the transgression from one campaign mission to the next allows newly reasearched spells and units to be carried on. Additionally, in scenario mode, the diplomacy aspect influences your troop's morale, so sticking a dark elf with an angel will cause one or the other to desert you because of it's hatred of the other. Although this game has a relatively average game life, it will always be played again, making it a good investment

25.7.2003

This game takes turnbased strategy to a new level - exiting deep gameplay combined with excellent humour and brilliantly written descriptions makes this the most entertaining game I have ever played! (I don't want to write about the excellent features such as 15 distinct races etc., since these can be found on the official webpage).Cheers and good gaming to you all!

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