Magic & Mayhem

by Barry Brenesal
January 01, 2000 00:00 AM PST

Spells, monsters, and RTS fun

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What a relief this game is, after the barrage of C&C wannabes. It�s true that Magic & Mayhem is a real-time strategy game, but that�s where the resemblance to the clones ends. This one has its own take�and a marvelously clever one at that�on creating armies and fighting the good fight, as you�d expect from the creators of X-COM.

M&M pits your wizard against others over 36 scenarios (roughly two-thirds required, others optional). Along the way, you gradually acquire unique magical items, each of which can be combined with three talisman types (law, neutral, or chaos) to produce specific spells.

At the start, you have three items and three talismans for a total of nine possible spells�three of which you must select before the first scenario. These choices determine your and your opponents� strategies as you duel to the death.

Twenty-one of M&M�s spells are summonings: of vampires, knights, zombies, elven archers, and so on. Another 42 spells hand out instant death (Inferno) or sly, delayed death (Pestilence). You can invoke fountains that heal nearby friendly creatures, create totems that attack enemies, and enchant (or disenchant) creatures with protections and enhancements.

Points paid out for good work in the previous scenario can be used to acquire talismans, health points, mana, and an improved capacity for summoning monsters. (Summoning is very important in M&M since monsters grab items for you, guard mana-generating sites, explore, and attack your opponents.)

However, if you just want a quick battle, you can play up to three computer or human opponents�the latter via null modem, LAN, or on the Zone (www.zone.com)�on 40 multiplayer maps. The multiplayer game is a combination of paranoia (thanks to the constant fog of war), tense exploration for mana and items, and wonderful destruction once you square off against an opponent�s wizard.

M&M is a feast for the eyes and ears. The graphics enhance the isometric perspective with imaginative and detailed artwork. Spell effects are great, but the animations are lean. There�s a jerkiness to character movements that becomes noticeable when you compare the game to Baldur�s Gate. The Afro Celt Sound Systems� background music, melding African rhythms to Celtic melody, is easily the most distinctive in a game since Roland Rizzo�s medievally inflected score for Magic: The Gathering.

M&M�s interface is also easy to learn, and an in-game tutorial will ease your introduction to the wizardly path. If it�s too tough, you can switch difficulty levels�there are four�between scenarios.

On the debit side, the pathfinding isn�t great, and you�ll need to keep an eye on your creatures to prevent them from getting stuck behind the local flora. M&M is by no means the disaster that Rage of Mages was in this respect, though, and you can always halt the game and issue new commands.

Strategy vets may recall that M&M (previously known as Duel: The Mage Wars) recaps some elements from Mythos� earlier Lords of Chaos. Still, it takes a canny sense to realize that what�s old may become new and fresh again, when applied with creativity. And that�s exactly what Magic & Mayhem does.