The History of Might and Magic

                  Taken from the Internet

Few role-playing games have achieved the success that Might and
Magic has with over 5 million units sold worldwide in the nearly
20 years since its first release. It is not only a game series, it
is a role-playing legacy.

The Might and Magic series made its debut in 1984 with Might and
Magic, Book 1: The Secret of the Inner Sanctum. At a whopping 256
kilobytes, this EGA graphics-enhanced game was written and
produced on an Apple IIc and featured first-person perspective
gameplay, a first in the computer RPG gaming genre.

Might and Magic II: Gates to Another World was released to satiate
the steadily growing number of Might and Magic fans.  While there
were no new remarkably unique features, this follow-up title gave
the RPG player more of the same adventure and story-driven
gameplay that the original Might and Magic offered.

Might and Magic III, however, made a technological leap that made
RPG gaming more accessible to a broader audience of gamers. Long
gone were the days of having to hand-map each dungeon; Might and
Magic III: Isles of Terra featured a brand-new automapping system
and set a standard that the rest of the RPG gaming world would
soon follow. It was also one of the first CRPGs (Computer
Role-Playing Game) to provide VGA graphics and native sound card
support. These new features instantly garnered Isles of Terra a
number of industry awards, such as the "Role-Playing Game of the
Year" award from Computer Gaming World magazine (1991).

In 1992, Might and Magic IV: Clouds of Xeen entered the gaming
market and immediately became a best-seller. Might and Magic V:
Darkside of Xeen soon followed featuring a bonus scenario; if the
player installed Clouds of Xeen and Darkside of Xeen on the same
hard drive, the player was treated to the scenario World of Xeen
which spawned its own expansion.


Meanwhile, Jon Van Caneghem, creator of the series and president
of New World Computing, came upon the idea of melding turn-based
strategy with the Might and Magic story and world. Thus, Heroes of
Might and Magic: A Strategic Quest entered the gaming scene.

1998 saw the release of the first Might and Magic game in over
three years, Might and Magic VI: The Mandate of Heaven. This new
installment in the series made another technological leap forward;
The Mandate of Heaven featured a brand new graphics engine
featuring 16-bit, 65,000 color graphics in a high-res smooth
scrolling world. It also boasted a new sophisticated non-linear
gaming system for added replayability and engrossing
role-playing.

Might and Magic VII: For Blood and Honor actually picked up the
storyline from Heroes of Might and Magic III, presenting further
proof of the depth in the Might and Magic universe.

Might and Magic VIII: Day of the Destroyer took strides forward
in graphics and gameplay. The player could now pursue the main
quest or concentrate on the advancement of his or her characters,
pursuing sub-plots, spin-offs, and mini-quests.

And now, the highly-anticipated and greatest installment in the
Might and Magic saga is here:  Might and Magic IX














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