Lords of Magic Special Edition

20_1Improved magic in the lands of Urak.

When the original Lords of Magic came out, many were very eager to try this highly anticipated game only to be rudely shocked by the many bugs and slow gameplay. The premise and even parts of the game design were great, but the end product suffered due to its rushed release. Sierra nonetheless redeemed itself with the Special Edition of Lords of Magic, fielding many improvements, fixes and a new set of quests that make this game a much more pleasant experience.

LoM SE is a turn-based strategy game where the use of resources, combat, and exploration help strengthen your characters and increase their sphere of influence. New to this version are additional artifacts, wandering monsters and buildings that add to and enhance the quality of play. More importantly, many of the frustrating bugs apparent in the original have been rectified, making play more interesting and less frustrating.

The Legends of Urak add-on, included with this version, brings five scripted quests with story-like elements to the table. Each quest has specific elements that must be completed to continue in the quest, though the player is still free to roam. Some are rather short, perfect for an evening romp, while others, including a brilliant Arthurian Legends quest seemingly taken right from Malory’s Le Morte D’Arthur, guarantee hours of play.

For those who gave the original only a cursory look might want to give it another chance. Graphically, the game is looking a little dated, and the multiplayer aspects are still extremely slow but for a single player the gameplay is clean, refined, addictive, and loads of fun for a fantasy strategist.


System Requirements: Pentium 100 Mhz, 16 MB RAM, Windows 95


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