Wizardry: The Return of Werdna - The Fourth Scenario

The Good
* Unusual perspective -- play as the villain, lead bands of orcs, kobolds, and other strange monsters against a collection of do-gooder heroes.

• Challenging. This is a thinking person's game. Return of Werdna is to computer RPGs what the Rubik's cube was to conventional games ... an immensely difficult mental challenge that is nonetheless rewarding if you are one of the few who will finish it.
  
  The Bad
  "Unforgiving" is an apt one-word description for this game.

To start with, there are no on-board mapping utilities so you'd best have a pencil and graph paper handy. In addition, there are no "experience points" as there are in other RPGs; your capabilities and damage are hard-set at the summoning pentagrams. This means that every level your opponents will always be just a little tougher than you are, requiring every ounce of combat skill and savvy you, the player, can muster to tip the balance.

Although I've never played that far, I've heard from others that have that this is a game where pure chance can easily wreck everything you've done and send you back to the bottom of the maze. Or you may forget/misplace an item and have to start all over from scratch.

Combat takes some time to learn; you can summon up to three different monster groups to accompany you in the maze. Some are highly effective while others are nearly worthless. Unfortunately, the tuition for learning which is which is to be sent back to the bottom of the maze -- again and again.

For this reason, experience in the earlier wizardry games is HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.

Did I mention that there's a ghost pursuing you, dogging your steps such that if you don't move quickly enough you suffer instant death and, again, have to start over?

The Bottom Line
This game was and is the ultimate thinking person's challenge in computer-based RPGs. While other games are an exercise in killing monsters and collecting treasure, this is a nearly worthless exercise in Wizardry IV: the Return of Werdna.

The most noteworthy thing about it is the total inversion of the normal perspective; rather than a hero descending into the dungeon to slay the Evil Overlord, you play the Evil Overlord ascending through the dungeon, encountering (and defeating) bands of adventuring parties -- some of whom are collected from successful adventuring bands in previous games.

It's excellent for a change of pace when one wishes to indulge their inner Darth Vader, put on a black cape and go striding forth to conquer to the strains of "Imperial March", all the while engaging in diabolical fits of laughter. Just don't expect to win.