Sorcerian

The Good
The one aspect I truly enjoy about this game was the fact that your characters can age as the game progresses, their character portraits going grey as the characters get older. Age is a factor most games don't factor in (since many don't take place over any extreme amount of time) but this addition gives Sorcerian an epic feeling.

Although incredibly simplied, the interface serves its purposes and the game is fairly easy to play.

The Bad
I could sum up my dislikes of this game in the simple terms of: console port.

I have never been a big fan of console RPGs. The mentalities of your standard Japanese console RPGs and Americna PC RPGs are vastly different. Console RPGs don't even try to hide their powergaming, number emphasis nature behind pretty interfaces or fancy stories. Your goal is to go out, do whatever you were required to do, collect whatever else you can find along the way, and go back to town. Aside from the stories provided in the manual, there's little to no storytelling. If you believe Darkstone or Diablo are shallow RPGs, avoid Sorcerian.

There's also a goofy arcade element. Your party moves along in a side scroller fashion (similar to the second Zelda game, or an old NES game) and combat occurs in this mode. Your party all moves and jumps at the same time, jumping over fireballs and dodging bats. It looks silly and makes the game for action oriented than some RPG fans may wish.

The Bottom Line
Not without a few merits, at Sorcerian's center is a console RPG and one must be wary of such. Fans of the old Final Fantasy games for the NES may enjoy themselves here, but anyone seeking a Bard's Tale or Ultima should steer clear.