MIGHT AND MAGIC VII
                    FOR BLOOD AND HONOUR

       Reviewed by Mandy Rodrigues on PC AMD K62 450

This is my very first Might and Magic game, or should I say
"experience" so I really cannot use any comparisons with the
earlier games in the series.  However, I have to say that I am
extremely impressed with what I have seen so far.  It has been
quite a few years since I enjoyed a game as much as the old
Dungeon Master.  I thought I would never find one.  I was wrong.

Getting started in the game proper is not difficult.  Choosing
your four characters isn't difficult at all and, to a certain
extent, they can be customized to your preference.  You can choose
your character's portrait, the character's voice, class, name,
skills and adjust their attributes with the options presented
which vary according to the race of your character.  You are given
some extra points which you can allocate for Might, Intellect,
Personality, Endurance, Accuracy, Speed and Luck.  Setting up your
party is quite important - after all you are going to be "living"
with them for quite some time so it pays to get it right.  The
races you can choose from are Humans, Elves, Dwarves and Goblins.
Each of these can be either male or female.  The available classes
are Knight, Sorcerer, Thief, Monk, Paladin, Archer, Ranger, Druid
and Cleric.  I chose Knight, Paladin, Cleric and Sorcerer.  Of
course the various skills will be altered according to the quests
you complete and the various situations you find yourself in
during play.

The packaging is very impressive and is packed with extremely
useful information - a quite refreshing change as recently I have
opened huge boxes only to find a CD inside together with some
advertising and a manual that needs a manual to understand.
Inside I found a comprehensive map of Erathia, a 64 page manual, a
guide to the game and instruction sheet for installation and
trouble-shooting.  The game comes on 2 CDs.

The game opens with your party having just arrived on the little
Emerald Isle situated just to the northeast of Erathia proper.
This is where you learn how the game works, what you can do and
how to interact with characters you meet and learn to cast spells,
use weapons etc etc.  You have arrived to take part in a contest.
You have to find various items scattered about the place and,
usually, well guarded, and you have to return them to the judge.
If you win, which I assume you will always do eventually, you will
be given the dubious honour of becoming the new Lords of
Harmondale, complete with a castle which needs cleaning out as it
is full of 'orrible Goblins.  It is when you have completed that
first challenge that you can take ship and sail to Erathia proper
and the massive game really begins to open out.

You can recruit various people to help you out along the way.
Some offer their services for free but most ask an initial fee and
a percentage of all the gold you find along the way.  These
characters are very useful and can be hired and fired as often as
you need depending on your current situation.  I found a villager
who could cast the Wizard Eye spell constantly at master level to
be extremely useful.  Annoyingly the second time I started the
game - well after the first forays I decided I could improve my
party - I couldn't find this person at all and had to cast the
spell myself, which at lower levels is not very useful.

Most of the game is made up of different quests, which you
complete in order to raise up in skill and levels.  You can
finance yourself by killing monsters/baddies and searching their
bodies for gold, find gold lying about the place, trading and
generally selling items you find or that you no longer need.  A
nice touch is that you can deposit your money in a bank and as you
travel around between the different towns visit other branches and
see how your money is always there for you.  I haven't had any
interest added yet so I will keep you informed if or when that
happens!  Like most banks I couldn't seem to get a loan.

Everywhere you go in Erathia you have to fight.  There is no
avoiding it so getting the best weapons and armor possible is a
must.  Each town you come to has a blacksmith and an armorer where
you can buy and trade your equipment and of course you find lots
hidden about the place.

Nice little "extras" come from drinking from various coloured
barrels, town wells (not all give you what you want though so be
careful) and, when you have accumulated sufficient experience
points you can pop into the training center to learn new skills.
Learning skills can also be done visiting various establishments
and houses so do visit everywhere you possibly can.

Magic skills are gained in much the same way and you need to buy
membership of many different guilds in order to visit and buy
spells as you go along.  I have great fun casting spells.  But
then that has always been one of my favorite elements in adventure
and role-playing games.  I always enjoy exploration too and,
believe me, there is a huge amount to explore both above ground
and below.

This is not a linear game and you are quite at liberty to tackle
any quest in whatever order you like.  I did find that it is
better to gather improved armor before tackling some quests but
you will find out as you go.  This is, believe it or not, a
leisurely game.  You can potter about to your hearts content and,
when engaging the enemy, can break off and run back to the nearest
inn to rest and heal, get further supplies and go back to find the
enemy waiting for you.  Just south of Harmondale I found some
Goblins within a fortification and managed to slip in and kill
them off.  Then I had a most enjoyable time firing their own
long-range weapons at their army.  I wiped them all out and spent
two hours going round gathering up the bodies for cash.  It is a
really interesting game.

Most of the communities you come across have a branch of each of
the Guilds of Body, Spirit, Mind, Fire, Water, Air and Earth
(where you can buy spells), a herbalist where you can buy potions,
empty potion bottles (so you can mix your own potions from the
argents that you pick up along the way), a magic shop where you
can buy and sell all sorts of things, the Armoror , Blacksmith,
Training Center, Healing center where you can pay for healing from
time to time and Government Center.  Oh yes, and stables and docks
for transportation to other towns if you don't want to walk.  That
list, together with all the different houses and Inns should keep
even the most demanding explorer happy.

There are also the Dungeons where most of the exciting stuff
happens.  Dungeons are usually full of a wide variety of opponents
and usually contain a special item that you must find to complete
your different quests.  There are so many explore, most of them
are vast and the automatic map in the top right of the screen is a
godsend for those.  When you cast the Wizard Eye spell a
collection of different coloured dots appear.  Green show you
where friendly characters are situated (beware, depending on your
actions they can change colour), Yellow denote where bodies of the
enemies you have slain lie and Red show the enemies lying in wait.
So you can see that this spell in particular is extremely useful.
If you gain a higher level you will also see Blue dots, which show
other items of interest, whether they are treasure or booby traps.

Speaking of which, it is wise to ether recruit or train yourself
to be able to disarm traps. A booby-trapped chest can inflict a
terrific amount of damage, usually at a time when you are going to
be attacked and need all the strength you can get.

Having said all this I have to admit that I have only touched on a
very small part of this game.  It is huge and there is so much yet
to be discovered.  If you want value for money, months of game-
play and to be completely absorbed into a different world then
this is one to choose.  It is obvious that the programmers have
really done their utmost to make the game as user-friendly as
possible.  Saving and loading is not at all fiddly.  You can
adjust sound, music, etc to your liking and set how you want your
movements to be i.e. run everywhere if you wish and turn smoothly
etc. It isn't often that I rave about a game but this has to be
one of those times.  This is what adventuring is all about for me.
When I become completely absorbed in a game that I just can't wait
to get back to it and have to be dragged away from it at bedtime I
know a game is a winner!  Worth every penny!  Go on, treat
yourselves, I know you won't be sorry!




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