Game Revolution PC Review Page

PC Review
Category	Turn Based Strategy
Players	1-12
Difficulty	Moderate
Review Date	12 / 99
Publisher	Gathering of Developers

Minimum System Requirements

Pentium 166

32MB RAM

16bit video card

4x CD-ROM

Win 9x

by C. Joshua Villines

The Real Wonder Is Why I Can't Stop Playing It

Have you ever wanted to play a combination of Heroes of Might and Magic and Civilization? If not, then do not bother to read the rest of this review. On the other hand, if the premise sounds like it might be fun, then the clearly derivative but well-crafted Age of Wonders fits the bill perfectly.

At first glance, Age of Wonders looks like a new installment in New World Computing’s classic Heroes series. You start the game with a hero (you) and a few troops. You goal is to capture towns (to produce new units) and flag various buildings (to produce mana or gold). As your hero or heroes gain experience, they increase in levels and can gain new skills which you can assign to them.

If all of this sounds very familiar to you it should. The above three sentences could be cut and pasted into any review for a Heroes game. [I have an idea on how to cut some of the writing staff... ~Ed] There are, however, a number of significant differences; some of which are actually welcome improvements over the traditional formula. First among these is the fact that in Age of Wonders you will never encounter stacks of thousands, hundreds, or even dozens of units. The maximum per stack is eight. As a consequence, combat and maneuvering feel a lot more like Civilization than Heroes.

In addition, your heroes themselves are plain old combat units who mix it up (and die) just like the enlisted folk. In fact, your units can, thank God, move around the map without them. Heroes are not grouped into classes, and instead all draw from the same broad set of skills. Experience points are hard to come by, so be prepared to make hard choices between spell casting and combat abilities. As a side note, heroes are the only units that can cast spells from your spellbook, so you may be well advised to focus on the former.

Spell casting is the technology of Age of Wonders. Each spell has to be researched before it can be used, and the rate of research is determined by how many mana generating sites you own and by how you allocate that mana. Spells serve a number of functions including terraforming, summoning new units, travel, and improving race relations.

The last is crucial. Age of Wonders uses a complex diplomatic model that monitors your relationship with both the various nations and the various races in each scenario. If your relationship with a certain race is strong enough, you can bribe their cities to join you. If you conquer a city of a race which hates you, they will revolt unless you keep a strong garrison there or import a friendlier race (can you say "Stalinization?"). Each hostile or friendly action that you take not only affects your relationship with the race with which you are dealing; it also affects your relationship with their allies and their enemies.

Combine these diplomatic challenges with the high fiscal cost of running your empire, and you will probably find that managing your realm is somewhat more of a balancing act than in the more combat-oriented games. Some elements, however, are more simple than your standard empire-management sim. All resources are conveniently converted into gold, and city upgrades are handled in a generic fashion.

Unfortunately, too much about the game may be just that - generic. The graphics are appealing, albeit tiny in 1024x768. They are also clearly the product of meticulous attention to detail, but they somehow lack the vibrancy and appeal of competing products. Perhaps the size is a factor, but the overall feel of the game is one of moving pretty cardboard markers over an attractive, Tolkeinesque game board.

That is not necessarily a bad thing, since over the years I have wasted hundreds of hours doing just that sort of thing - when the game is engrossing. Fortunately, the story line and the gameplay in Age of Wonders are just that, if not more so. In fact, I’ve become so enthralled with the campaign that I have had to rewrite this review to accommodate how much fun I have been having. Game balance is excellent, and the diversity among each race’s units offers opportunities to experiment with different tactics. In addition, the backstories of the campaigns and the scenarios are polished, well thought out, and quite clever. Quite simply, Age of Wonders is a lot of fun.

A few flaws, however, may well keep it from being a classic. One obvious one is the lack of a random scenario generator. Although the campaign and the bundled scenarios will keep you busy for a very long time, their replay value is certainly not infinite. In addition, one cannot help but feel that the game could have been so much more. The victory and configuration options for each scenario are underwhelming. Likewise, it is easy to get into a strategic rut where, once you discover a working formulae, you limit yourself to the same units from the same races using the same strategies over and over again. It’s almost as if there is another level of complexity and challenge lurking beneath the surface, if only the game designers would take it there.

They do deserve kudos, however, for including an outstanding scenario editor. Although it does not have quite the versatility of the Heroes III editor, it is far easier to use. In addition, they deserve thanks for an intelligent and well-written storyline. There are actually whole paragraphs of text introducing each scenario. It’s nice to see people putting thought into storytelling.

They also put a lot of thought into the multiplayer. All of the standard options are there, including hot seat, IPX, and H.E.A.T. An additional "play by e-mail" feature looks like a pretty good idea if you have opponents around the world who believe in sleeping on occasion (some people just don’t take their gaming seriously enough). The simultaneous turn-taking mode speeds things up considerably, allowing Age of Wonders to actually be a relatively quick, turn-based, multiplayer experience.

All in all, this is a tough grade to game. It is a well-executed, carefully crafted, fun game; but it only takes small steps forward where it could have taken leaps. Nevertheless, the gameplay is unique and very, very fun.