Lords of Magic: Special Edition

The Good
Lords of Magic was made by some of the same people who made the near-perfect Lords Of The Realm II. It's like a sequel to that game, moved from a medieval world to a fantasy world with magic. It should be great.

Some creativity in the different factions and units and spells. I like how you can make your hero a thief who can sneak around the map unseen. I wish more strategy games had stealth units.

As with LOTR II, it's a hybrid with everything turn-based except the battles which are real-time.

The Bad
It just isn't any fun to play. The different aspects of the game seem disjointed. You clean out a nest of bad guys, you get some crystals, you move a scout, you research a spell, but somehow it doesn't gel together into a story, and the only thing compelling me to keep playing is hoping it will finally become fun.

I've read elsewhere that there's some strategic trick (not a realistic one) that makes the game too easy, but I didn't figure it out, so the game just kept grinding on without my forces getting strong enough to win, or being seriously threatened by the other factions, which seem to just wander aimlessly.

Also, the graphics are much too dark. It feels like you're looking around a basement with a flashlight. Doesn't this world have a sun?

The Bottom Line
Failed attempt at a fantasy strategy game.