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A joke of a game, with huge potential.

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 332 / 370
Date: May 25, 2006
Author: Amazon User

September 29 2006.
The second, and last, edit to this review.

Well, the map editor is finally out, and I must say that they did a excellent job with it. Sure, it needs a little trail and error to lean how to use it. But it is pretty much 90% the same editor like in H3. If you know how to use that, you know how to use this one.

Now, as for the rest of the game, have 3 patches changed it? Yes it definitely did. It still isn't perfect, there still are bugs in the game, but they are (relatively) small, and the kind you will find in any game nowadays.

Now this game is worth buying, and I would suggest that you do.

A few more things. In my initial review I said that the game was very stable; it is... for me. I never had a single crash, never had a problem with the game freezing; nothing like that. But I have read in the official Ubi forum that not all people are that lucky. Most interesting, the more... exotic... you computer is, the more change there seems to be for a problem. So it might very well be that someone with a beast of a computer all geared to playing games has a problem with it, while the other person that has a more common computer that only just makes the system requirements has no problem with the game at all.

If you do buy the game, my advice is to immediately download the patches and install them before even playing the game. This also because some save games didn't work anymore after a new patch was installed. Very importantly, DL the right patch. If you have the U.S. version of the game, you also need the U.S. patch. There is even a difference between normal and collectors edition. In total there are something like 7 patches for every version of the patch, so make sure you got the right one. If you try to install a patch and you are told that `Heroes 5 is not installed' then you are using the wrong version of the patch.

It took 4 months, but now I can finally suggest; go buy the game. It's fun, it's good, and it keeps you entertained. The map editor (btw no Random Map Generator, that comes with the first expansion) is out 2 weeks now at the moment of me writing this, and some good fan made maps have already appeared. So now you really will get those countless hours of fun.

H.W.

Edit: Somewhere in the last two weeks, the line `map editor provided' was finally removed. Notice the date when I posted this review (May 25th) and the fact that somewhere in the last two weeks that line was removed. So the line was in the description for two months after the game hit the stores. Also, just so that you are up-to-date, as of this date (August 4th) the map editor still not exists. It is rumored that it will be `provided' in the next month, but Ubisoft is NOT giving out a clear date.

Original review.
I'm sorry to say this, but at the moment this game is a joke.
(The reason for the never the less high rating is given at the end of this review.)
Even worse is that they lie to you. I don't mean a little bit of enhancing of the product that everyone does, no I mean lie. In the product information above it clearly states: `Battle opponents in exclusive Duel mode; map editor provided' and `Experience everlasting adventure thanks to the map editor provided.' See the `map editor provided'? Well, it's not. There is no map editor on the CD. Did you also notice the wording `map editor PROVIDED.' They don't say included, no they say provided. The reason for that is simple. The plan is to at a later point bring out a map editor and PROVIDE it to you through a patch. So, I guess if you wait long enough the words will eventually be true. That doesn't take away that at the moment of me writing this, there is no map editor. I bought the game retail, (so it's not some kind of demo or trail), I installed it, I also went to their site to look for patches. Nothing. There is no map editor at this point, so... they lie.

That's not the only thing that is badly in need of a patch though. Other things in the game as well. There are for instance items that have no description. Case in point, I found a necromancer helmet. Great, what does it do? I don't know. Why don't I know you wonder? Because the description of the item was... necromancer helmet. That's it. Does it enhance my necromancer skill? In that case I can't use it because my hero is not a necromancer. Does it grand me the necromancer skill? In that case I most certainly want it since my hero doesn't have that skill at the moment. See what I mean? A description would be nice.

Now, I'm not going to complain about how few artifacts and recourses there are on the maps that have been provided, nor about the fact that the maps seem incredibly small (the largest maps give you the same feeling of plying on a small map in Heroes 4, and a medium map in heroes 3. The reason I'm not going to complain about that is, frankly, I haven't played the game long enough to do so. It might very well be that in fact this time around they have the balance right and I simply have to get used to it yet.

I AM however going to complain about maps, or the lack thereof. There is a ridicules small amount of maps provided. In the product info above they boast that there are over 30 maps in 6 campaigns. Yes, that's true, but just look at that and ignore the big number. What you see is that in fact there are ONLY 6 campaigns on the CD. If you want to play a standalone map it's just as bad. There are 6, count them 6, standalone maps (or custom games as they call them) on the CD. Want to play multiplayer? Great, at least there you get more. Well, 4 more; 10 in total. So what you get is 6 campaigns, 6 standalone and 10 multiplayer maps, and no way to get more maps at the moment. See the problem? That's just enough to play so that you can get a feel for the game. In fact, the six standalone maps are each set to one faction, which you can't chance. So it really is nothing more than an opportunity to play with the different factions and see which ones you like. I assume that they think that by the time you played those maps they might have the map editor out and you can create random maps. I just hope that their wishful thinking time table works out.

Now, is all about this game bad? No. There are some very good points. First, it's stable. In a time where games are brought out with flaws in them so big that you can't play them without crashing until a patch is provided, such a stable game like this a welcome change.
Second, they clearly used Heroes 3 as the basis of the game. If you don't know Heroes 3 or 4, trust me, it's a good thing they used 3. You are once again back to Heroes being part of an army and that those Heroes can't go outside the town without those armies, nor can creatures go out anymore without a hero to lead them. You are once again back to building your city and upgrading structures so that if you want you can still buy the base or the upgraded creature. Gone are the choices of just which creature you want to build and where choosing one means that you can't make the other anymore. I really do think that they did very well in getting the Heroes 3 feel in to a 3D game.
Third, the graphics are truly stunning, but come on, doesn't it say enough that you need to use great graphics as a selling point instead of a great game play? As wonderful as the graphics are, they get boring. When I saw the first battle I was in awe about the beauty they managed to get in there. By the tenth battle however, I had set the computer to `quick combat' (skips the fight and just tells you what you lost or won in the battle.) Why? Because as wonderful as the graphics are, they are still just the same thing over and over and over. A blade warrior uses the same `slice, slice' move over and over. You are tired of it after having seen that a couple of times. By that time you are more interested in the game play, and then great graphics don't take away from the fact that this game still needs work. A drawback to these great graphics is also that they battles themselves are boring. With Heroes 3 and 4 the battles were more of a chess game with the focus on which creature should you have attack which other creature. The graphics of the fights there were just to dress up those `chess moves.' Now they take their good time to show the move. As I said; great at first, boring later.

So, where does all of this leave us? It leaves us basically with a half done product that has been pushed in to the stores too soon. I honestly think that this game does have the potential to be absolutely great. I do think that with a little bit of extra work this game can even surpass Heroes 3 in popularity. But...
We aren't there yet. This review was about the game that you get on the CD, and as I started out; that's a joke. Now, you could say that in a time where there are games being sold where the CD only enables you to get online and play the online game that it's not a big thing that you have to download patches. If you think that, than you are right, BUT, the problem is that these patches don't exist at the moment of this writing. If you buy one of those `online game CD's' the online game is there and you can play it as soon as you installed the rest of the software on your computer.

With Heroes 5 you buy a half finished product and HOPE that they will add the rest in patches. What if they decide that the map editor isn't needed since the sales are good enough? You aren't sure, and that's my point. You aren't sure what they will hand to you for free in the future. Why would they spend a lot of time on patches if they don't make any money from it? Because of that, if you buy the CD you have to look at what you get on the CD. The game is sold as such; everything is supposed to be on the CD (well, PC-DVD-rom actually) and it's not.
If you are new to the world on Heroes and are wondering why I make such a big fuss about the fact that there is no map editor, let me tell you why. Just for the heck of it, do a internet search for `Heroes III maps' or `Heroes IV' maps. You will see that there are hundreds, if not thousands of maps on line to download; made by fans of the game. That's literally thousands of hours of fun. And if you ever do get tired of those maps, or worse, don't have an internet connection and you can't download them, the map editor has a `create random map' function which simply makes a new map for you. You never again run out of maps with heroes 3 and 4.

Now compare that to heroes 5. Just how long do you think it will take you to run out of maps there; seeing that there's no real number of maps to speak of. THAT is why I'm so annoyed about it not being there. Especially since they clearly say that it is and even use it as a selling point. Not nice.
There being no name tags for some things? Sloppy, but forgivable. There being no map editor? Now that's plain and simple false advertisement.
Let me point out again that the map editor does not exist at the time of me WRITING this. At the point of you reading this it could have been added as a download on their site.

So, I assume that you are reading all of this because you are wondering if you should get the game. My opinion on that; yes and no. Don't buy it yet. First go to the official site of the game maker and see if they have patches by this time. If they do, and especially if they now have a map editor then my advice would be by all means run, don't walk, to get this game. If however they don't have those patches yet, eh, just skip the game and wait. Trust me, the anticipation of the long wait is better than the disappointment of getting the game now and seeing just how big of a joke the game is without the improvements hopefully provided by patches.

Lastly, you might wonder why I have given the game such a high rating if I'm clearly not that thrilled with the game. The answer to that is simple; the high rating is based on hope. As I said, there is a very big potential for this game. I honestly think that if they put some more work in to it (patches) this could be the best game you have bought in quite some time. The rating I have given the game is based on that. On that, and on the hope that those promised patches really will arrive at some point.

H.W.

A Good Game is added to the Series

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 83 / 88
Date: May 30, 2006
Author: Amazon User

I started playing the Heroes franchise with Heroes of Might and Magic III. I am glad this new developer took many of the best features from III and made it new again. This game is immediately playable. I have already spent hours playing through the Haven campaign, exploring the entire map in each level. The graphics are fantastic, which makes playing the game enjoyable. The control mechanics are simple and straightforward. Because I was familiar with III and IV, I had no trouble jumping right into this game and feeling like I knew how to do everything, including building construction, troop recruitment, and combat. The combat in this game has improved--the difference in unit types and how they act adds to the overall strategy on the combat field. With the addition of many new spells and abilities, each Hero feels different in combat. Since combat is a major part of the game, I was glad to know the developer made the combat fun and straightforward as well, meaning you may spend countless hours in combat over the course of the game, yet each battle is not repetitive. There is always something going on to make it different.

However, the game does have some problems. A reviewer here on Amazon wrote a great deal about the game--turns out, he is correct. There are many strange things about the game--things I can't believe a developer would overlook. For example, in combat, you do know the result of your unit's attack before the animation even plays. If you look at the bottom of the screen or watch the initiative bar, you know the results before anything happens. This is an annoying oversight--I try not to look at those bars while I play. Also, the battlefield is completely scaleable in 3D as well. However, whenever an animation of the combat occurs, you leave your custom view for the animation. If that's the case, then why make the battlefield rotate and zoom? I play with it zoomed all the way out so I can see the entire battlefield. I am also surprised that in this day and age, the developer released a game that has missing elements. Like the reviewer said, how do you know what an object does without a description of it? Trial and error I guess, but that is not how a game should be made.

Like the other reviewer, I also experience some slow-down on the large world map. It seems that if you zoom all the way out, the game stutters as it tries to compute all the animation on the screen. I have a very fast Alienware computer, and if it stutters on mine, I can't imagine how slow it must be on others. I get around this, I usually zoom out to see where I want to go, then zoom back in to move. Rotating the camera at a closer range to your hero is not a problem, but it is slow zoomed out. Again, I don't know why the developer did this, but it is something I hope they can fix in the patch.

I also feel that this game has a very narrow market. If you played M&M III or IV, then this game will appeal to you. It is fun and addicting. Go buy it right now. However, the publisher needed to include better documentation to appeal to the non-fans. There is no creature and town hierarchy chart that always came with the other games. The manual is small--M&M III had a bound book for instructions that included a lot more information, back-story, and game play.

Overall, I think this game is great fun, and I look forward to advancing to the other campaigns. But I think this because I was already a fan of the series and because I am willing to over look a few of its flaws. If you can get past these issues, then I think you will enjoy the game. It looks great, plays great, and is an addicting turn-based game. If a patch comes out that fixes many of these issues, then I will put another star back into my review.

UPDATE: There is now a patch for this game that makes significant upgrades. It adds an Easy mode, the abilitiy to check for future updates, speeds up some of the slow down we have been experiencing when zoomed out, and fixes some of the leveling up skill trees. But most importantly, it fixes the initiative bar--now combat updates at the same time you attack, the way it was meant to be. There is a long list of fixes you will see in the Readme file when you download the patch. Since these fixes make the game so much better, I would give it 5 stars.

Heroes is Back!

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 16 / 16
Date: June 03, 2006
Author: Amazon User

Being a fan of the series since King's Bounty, way to many years ago, I was really excited to hear that UBI was bringing the series back to life.

You'll notice right off the bat a few changes. Having played every game in the series, my favorite was Heroes III and I absolutley hated IV. So if you had similar feelings, you'll be pleased to know that this game to me feels almost identical to Heroes III.

With that said, there are a lot of changes some good and some bad. Combat in this game is a lot of fun and feels better than even Heroes III. It appears that a lot of thought has gone into the balancing of the various units and even some nice changes given to make all of them worth using. Even Heroes III had units that were worthless.

Combat has several features that are nice as well, as you hoover over targets the screen displays where that unit can potentially move as well as your range for units killed. This might be None to a range of numbers like 2-15. Catapults, Healing Tents etc all take care of them selves and the nicest feature added might be the initiative bar. It's really nice seeing the units next few rounds and as morale bonuses change the order.

While there is a lot of positives, there are a few negatives. I personally don't think every game on the planet needs to be 3D. Combat is really nice due to the 3D graphics, but the main map suffers in a few areas. First, it's really hard to tell what's eye candy and what you should be running around picking up. Second and most annoying is the option to invert mouse is limited to 1 checkbox that inverts both the horizontal and vertical camera movement. I'd really like to have these as seperate options as I want to invert 1 but not both for my style of play. I'm sure that the fact that map is 3D is also why a map editor and randomizer haven't been included. It's a lot harder to program these things with 3D maps. Part of me wishes that the main map had been left 2D with the combat engine being 3D. Don't get me wrong, the screens are beatiful but the game does feel like it might be a bit small as is and in need of some additional maps.

My advice is to give the demo a try, it can be found on file planet and perhaps a few other sites. This does feel a lot like heroes III and I've enjoyed playing through the first 5 scenarios. I'll be interested to see how multiplayer and custom maps play out. That is where I got the most enjoyment out of the heroes series.

This one is worth giving a try and possibly a purchase.

Heroes of Might & Magic 5

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 16 / 18
Date: May 27, 2006
Author: Amazon User

Heroes of Might and Magic V is a worthy follow on for the series. Many things remain the same from the previous versions but the graphics are greatly improved and with 3D. They took the best of Heroes 3 and the best of Heroes 4 and created a gorgeous, well-crafted world. Character models are well made, the gameplay is from Heroes 3 with some of 4 mixed in.

The skill system is unique and thought out alowing multitudes of combinations of skills and abilities to create some truely unique heroes to lead your armies. You can choose from over 200 skills, 170 creatures' abilities, and 40 spells to build up your heroes and their armies. In single-player you battle against 6 different "factions" and some 80+ different creatures.

The fantasy world of Heroes remains mostly the same in terms of the lore and background. I was somewhat disappointed with the voiceovers and the way the story connects, but the game play makes up for what the story lacks. There are 6 campaigns and over 30 mission that blend adventure, strategy, and role play. Each campaign allows you to lead different types of units, heroes, and armies altogether. The first campaing, The Queen campaign, is basically an enhanced tutorial. This is in many ways a good thing since there are so many special features, spells, creature attributes, etc to learn. By the second campaign, things really get going.

At first I didn't like the new way you move your heroes across the map but it does allow better positioning of troops and better calculation of how many move points each of your heroes has left. Beyond single-player, you can play in Hot Seat mode, where up to 4 players can play on the same computer and swap turns. On a network or live to Ubi.com's gameplay service you can play against each other or in teamplay mode where you can make alliances with the other players.

Heroes 5 also introduces two modes, called Duel and Ghost Mode. Duels are battles between heroes rather than heroes and armies. With Ghose mode, players are given one Ghost each and can take on the roles of the Ghost. They can influence the game world through haunting enemy mines or cursing enemy mines. A Ghost can also possess neutral creatures and take them over to provide a challenge for the other players.

Multiplayer can also have turn based or active battle settings. Overall, its a very satisfying game. If they add the map editor as a patch, it'll be even better.

Pure entertainment in the HOMM tradition

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 11 / 11
Date: August 14, 2006
Author: Amazon User

My husband and I have been Heroes of Might & Magic fans since the very first game. There are few other games that compete when it comes to pure, charming fun and entertainment at the end of a hard day. We remained avid fans through versions II and III, and were extremely disappointed when IV was released and turned out to be more trouble than fun.

We heard about version V coming out, that the company had been bought out and the new owners were trying to breathe new life into the game. We were hopeful that their efforts would pay off, but our hopes were not very high.

We are pleased to report that Heroes V has fulfilled our hopes and we are once again thoroughly charmed and entertained. It's just different enough to feel like a new game, but similar enough to feel like an old friend. The biggest change--and also the biggest drawback as far as we are concerned--is the 3-D graphics, which sometimes make it hard to navigate, can cause one to become disoriented, and obstruct the view of goodies along the way. But the storyline and the way the campaigns are set up surpass anything in previous versions, the animations are stunning, and the creatures, skills and abilities, and town development are fascinating.

We have not had any of the problems mentioned by other reviewers. We have simply had many hours of interesting and immersive gameplay, and we look forward to many more. We are hoping for expansion packs so the fun will continue.

Ubisoft shipped an unfinished game.

3 Rating: 3, Useful: 11 / 12
Date: June 05, 2006
Author: Amazon User

Yes, the game is fun and it lives up to the spirit of other HOMM games. But the most important feature is lacking- a random map builder. Your hours of available gameplay are severely shortened with no new maps available. The campaigns are a bit weak, and Ubisoft only includes 10 "custom" (non-campaign) maps with the game! Supposedly Ubisoft will be releasing an update with a map editor in "a few months". I suggest not buying the game until the update is released, in case they decide not to release it at all. I have written to Ubisoft about the map issue and there has been no response as of yet. Other than the map issue, there are some bugs to the game and some other unsatisfactory changes.

I do agree with other reviewers that it simply was unneccessary to make this game 3D. The 2D has a simplicity to it, an ease of navgation, and quick loading times. 3D now has issues with camera control underground.

Other bugs are minor and I think they can be fixed. But without the extra maps or the ability to build them, this game will only hold your attention for a week.

One of the best games I have played

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 10 / 11
Date: August 03, 2006
Author: Amazon User

I scanned the other reviews here and was astounded to see some low ones. I haven't seens such an in-depth turn-based fantasy game since Master of Magic. I have been completely enthralled by the game.

In trying to determine why my opinion was so different from some of the others here, the only thing I could come up with is micro-managment. The skill trees for the heroes are so inter-related that you can spend hours deciding how you want to develop each hero that you have. Couple that with the fact that each Hero in HoMM5 has his own strengths and each race is completely different, and you have the opportunity to plan forever. I love that stuff. :D

On the other hand, if planning isn't your thing, maybe this isn't the game for you.

Lots of loving touches are evident. The combat animations are very nice - I have gotten to appreciate them more and more. It will be nice when more scenarios are out, but this game is great as is.

I highly recommend this game to people who like games such as Master of Magic, Age of Wonders, HoMM3, Colonization, or Civilization.

As good as it gets!

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 8 / 8
Date: May 31, 2006
Author: Amazon User

Having been a fan of the Heroes franchise ever since the first part hit the stores in 1995 I must admit I was somewhat skeptical about the future of the series after the untimely demise of NWC. I am very pleased to announce that my skepticism was totally unfounded.

The 5th installment in one of the greatest Turn-Based Strategy series manages to retain all the magic and atmosphere of its predecessors while being a technological and design marvel.

Amalgamating the best parts of the previous four games and going back to the proven "Heroes control troops, troops fight battles" formula of Heroes 1-3 was a wise decision. The only part that seems partially inherited from the fourth installment is the hero skills and abilities formula.

The graphical presentation of the game deserves a separate praise. I honestly do not believe anyone could have done a better job making such a seamless transition into the third dimension without compromising the meticulous attention to detail the fans of the previous games have ground accustomed to. Gone is the somewhat bleak, albeit lifelike, color palette of the 3rd and the 4th installments, the vibrant colors are sparkling with depth and radiance last seen in the second Heroes game. For the first time we actually get to see the 3-dimensional close-ups of the multitude of mines, shrines and other map objects all animated in the most spectacular manner (you can see the glow emanating from the depths of the gold mine and the disc-saw of the timber mill chopping logs in half).

The city screens are even more astounding as you literally feel the heat of boiling lava as the camera takes you on the ride through the pillars of the Inferno castle, smell the stench of the decaying Necropolis and experience the serenity of the Sylvan tree town.

Creatures have been recreated in full 3D and although instantly recognizable are now far more menacing and convincing (no more shaven gorilla behemoths of Heroes 4, or excavator-like bone dragons of Heroes 3 J ). The majority of old favorites are back and the new additions are for the most part well executed.

The only grudges I have with the game is the relatively small number of maps that comes bundled with the game and the absence of the Barbarian castle which was present in all previous games. The systems requirements are also quite hefty, with my P4 2.4/GeForce 6800 (admittedly not the most powerful system) slowing down to a crawl in certain object packed areas. However, of all games this is the one worth upgrading for.

I would heartedly recommend the game to both die-hard Heroes veterans and newcomers to the series. Nival and Ubisoft have done an excellent job and revived what one of the greatest games of all time!

The 3D Version of HOMM3

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 9 / 10
Date: August 24, 2006
Author: Amazon User

In all fairness, Heroes of Might and Might V (HOMM5) is really just HOMM3 gone 3D, but with some added features and the new races and interface. But that is not a bad thing at all! HOMM3 was a dandy, and HOMM5 is great, as well.

Now that the map editor has been released (and with the random map generator included in the expansion pack), HOMM5 meets my expectations for a great game on today's computers. (Forget about it if your computer is not up-to-date!)

There was a lot of hubbub about the game designers and other side issues (like Starforce, if you are familiar with that), but the game achieved its goal: make a quality 3D version of the series. (It seems like a lot of RPG makers are going this route nowadays. Maybe the technology has become cheaper...)

That said, if you don't like the turn-based style RPG that the HOMM series is all about, you aren't going to have your mind changed with HOMM5. However, if you remember the "good old days" when you would buy a new computer just to play the games as they came out, this title might lead you to do that again.

From what I have seen, the graphics are quite intense. By that I mean that they take a lot of computer resources to keep running properly. Over time, I have noticed my older system begin to chop up and eventually slow down to a poor pace. On the newer system, it works great, but you really have to have the hardware! But if you want to have a fully immersive, 3-dimensional world to scale through, you gotta have what it takes.

The interface was my biggest concern in the beginning as it was not completely familiar with what I remember - and the new features of HOMM5 really kept me learning how to navigate - but over time you master it all.

I appreciate the depth of the character development system. More so, I like being able to customize my Heroes' roles in my armies. (Like having magic-specific - all magics, melee-specific, and range-specific Heroes.)

Overall, I think the tradition of HOMM has been upheld nicely, and $30 is a reasonable price given the fact that you are really just paying for your addiction. If you don't know what I mean by that, see if the HOMM style of RPG suits you. If so, you will find the $30 somehow!

A lot of fun for an everyday gamer, great 3D third person, but some disappointments, too

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 10 / 12
Date: July 30, 2006
Author: Amazon User

I like fun games that don't require fifty hours of killing rats and spiders until you earn the right to leave a town. I want the graphics to be beautiful, but I don't judge games by "First Person Shooter" and their framerates: in fact, those games kinda' nauseate me as you bounce up stairs and along walls. I don't like to memorize twenty keystrokes in order to play a game, nor engage in a contest of how quickly I can tap a button to consume "healing potions." I don't want to play for a hundred hours. I love fantasy novels but don't play Dungeons and Dragons and so don't judge games by its standards. I hate spending half a game juggling my inventory. I loved Psychonauts but not the Sims.

Okay, so here goes. The best thing, 5 stars, about this game is the the simplicity of its gameplay. You can play the whole thing with the mouse: sit back and enjoy. It has a "real time" combat mode, or you can play turn based. That rocks. I like the turn based, because I can choose my spells and stuff, and have fun with it. The spells aren't insanely complicated, but they're fun. In most games, like Diablo, I play a fighter because I always hated mana and the complexity of spells, but in this game, I embrace the spells. They're fun and self-explanatory. And as you level up, you get more powerful ones that don't drain every ounce of mana. THANK YOU! Also, putting the cursor over things usually tells you just what you need to know. You really don't need to use the manual. Inventories make sense. No healing potions, no scrolls, no hoarding lots of old weapons from the battlefield to sell at a town. The inventory is small and holds special magic items that boost your stats or give you special abilities. And, so far at least, none of the items make you invincible like some Obsidian Armor or something. I like that. A good item is one that boosts a stat by three, not "add 50 to attack". And the kinds of items aren't absurdly varied, like in some games where they give you partial immunity to only one of some thirty types of attack, so you need to carry around twenty rings depending on whom you're fighting.

Another 5 star aspect of the gameplay is, to me, the elegance of its challenges. It's not some complicated war simulation game, as I had feared. I have a heck of a lot of fun building up my towns by adding archers towers and magic guilds (to learn spells) and various troop production facilities (like conscript villages or Hell Charger stables). It's a blast and they give you results. But clearly you don't end up losing the game because you made some strategic mistake like charging the peasants too high a tax or something, or forgot to build bridges or something, as in some complex simulation. The town building actually enhances the game and gives you results, like more creatures to fight with or a cool new spells to use. (One caveat: as I've progressed in the game, I've been disappointed at surprisingly few new spells, despire changing the class of hero/magic guilds.)

A third cool thing about gameplay is that you are forced to play different "heroes" -- for some campaigns you're a demon lord, for some a knight, etc. That way, each town is different, so sometimes you're raising dragons and sometimes devils and sometimes elves archers. This really cuts down on the monotony of some games where the only novelty is being a level 49 knight instead of a level 48 knight.

The next best thing to the gameplay is the graphics. 5 STARS! As someone who actually prefers 3rd person games to 1st person, I just love the way they made everything 3D. Just using your mouse, you can rotate the world three dimensionally at any time just by clicking and moving the mouse, and using your mouse wheel, zoom in and out at the same time. So, for example, during a battle you can, with the flick of the mouse, rotate the battlefield up, down, from your point of view, from the enemy's, close up, far away, etc. This makes walking around the world a heck of a lot of fun. As others have noted, however, this comes with a price: you have to have a good video card. The game won't run for anything on my new laptop, but on my Athlon XP system with 1 gig RAM and a RADEON 9800PRO, I run everything on highest detail and it is totally smooth. I love the way it looks.

So, for advanced gamers who embrace complexity, the game will likely disappoint. For those who just want to have fun in a fantasy universe, who liked Diablo I and II but got tired of potions and inventory and a certain degree of monotony, this is a super game.

So what's the downside? The game is broken down into a series of, around, 25 chapters (each are essentially 1 or 2 quests). Unlike a slash-and-hack game like Diablo, each quest requires building up your hero's army, town, and skills to overcome the enemy. For every turn, you not only move your hero, you also choose something to do to your town. So you spend almost all your time using your town to build up an army and using your hero to gather resources like gold and the occasional rare item like the Boots of The Swift Journey or a spell boosting armor. And here's the Achilles' Heel: at the end of each chapter, you get a cut scene (which, in just a minor annoyance, you cannot disable the distracting subtitles, and in what is almost as annoying, none of the characters' mouths move at all), and then you go back to the world, and your character starts from scratch. Everything in the inventory disappears. Those boots you spent five hours getting? Gone. That army you spent A WEEK developing? They've somehow magically disappeared. This is not a bug, mind you: it's the game's design. I've been playing the game for about five weeks, and it's getting awfully disheartening. You spend a week building up a town all the way so you can recruit dragons or build up some gold reserves. Five minutes later you win a battle, there's a cut scene, and suddenly you start out for the next objective with a few dogs and a couple of peasants and a preset amount of gold. Not to mention my armor is gone, my rings, my boots, etc. Now this really doesn't make any sense to me. This is more than a gripe or a "wish list" for the game developers: it seriously undermines enjoyment. I agree one ought to start from scratch for each "campaign" which entails starting as a new character, but I don't like starting from scratch as you're building your character within one of the five campaigns, especially when even in the linear storyline, you've just won your battle and should still have your army intact.

One other downside that does affect gameplay is that it is rather repetitive. Though each quest seems different, it doesn't feel that way. At the end of one quest, the scenery changed to a desert... for about an inch of the map. And that was it. All the terrain seems to look about the same, and the towns, too. So over time I have gotten a little bored of what I'm looking at.

And a quibble: about once out of every three times I start the game, I get a message that the program can't authenticate my disc and so the game can't be played. I bought the game at a major electronics retailer, playing full price.

Is the game right for you? If you have a high speed connection, you can find out right away by downloading the Demo. It is an extensive Demo, and includes two of the best chapters from the game, just as they exist in the game, plus a multiplayer chapter. You can see right away whether your computer can handle the game, and you can see right away if you enjoy the gameplay. The Demo doesn't show the Achilles' Heel, however, since the two chapters are from different campaigns, and so you don't see your hero lose all their stuff. But hats off to the company for having a free demo which pretty much shows off a huge portion of the game.

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