By Gavin Hachiya Wasserman
10/20/99

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Age of Wonders takes place in a chaotic fantasy world teetering on the edge between darkness and light. At the start of the game, the Elven kingdom that had maintained a balance between good and evil has been shattered by the onslaught of a younger race called Man. The Elves survive and split into two factions, a mirror image of good and evil in conflict. In the campaign, the good Elves, called Keepers, seek to reestablish balance. The Cult of Storms seeks only Dark Elven supremacy. Meanwhile, ten other races strive to fill the power vacuum left by the sundered kingdom of Elves. Thus, this Age of Wonders is an age of war.

In each scenario, you may choose your initial forces from twelve races. However, depending on the scenario, some races are not available to you.

Seizing control of resources, like this mine, paves the way for preserving the balance between good and evil... or destroying it.

Additionally, a player from one race may command units from another race, which means you can have well over a hundred different unit types to control in some scenarios.

As in many other strategy games, standard units of each race possess characteristic advantages. A Frostling archer from the barren tundra bears Cold Protection, whereas his counterpart of the Arzac race has developed a sorcerous Fire Protection.

Mastering magic makes Mohram more malevolent. Research spells for combat, enhancement, and global effects.

However, each race also produces special units with different abilities. For instance, the Dire Penguin (yes, "Dire") is a low-level Frostling unit that does not possess the same Cold Protection as the icemen who "domesticated" it. Rather, it makes up for its lack of Cold Protection with a higher attack and defense rating and the ability to cross water. Likewise, the Hell Hound, a low-level undead unit, is not immune to Death magic like its bony masters, but it can set an opponent aflame with its breath.

This city hasn't been upgraded and can only make basic Elven units. Still, the Elven kingdom wasn't built in a day, you know.

Race also plays a major role in diplomacy. Members of a race are always watching out to see how their brothers and sisters are being treated. Evict some Elves from a city or burn an Elven village, and expect to have a mutiny among any Elven troops under your command. Likewise, an Elven hero will not join a player who has earned the enmity of the Elven race. On the other hand, fortify and protect a few Elven towns, and perhaps the next Elven unit or town you meet will be prepared to welcome you with open arms. How you treat a race could be the difference between rapidly achieving an empire and getting bogged down in lesser conflicts, insurrections, and costly occupations.

A diplomatic player can unite armies from different races under a common banner. A forceful dictator can sometimes bully a few unhappy units into combat by assigning them to a larger force of loyal troops. Either way, you have the opportunity to develop various combined forces and different strategies and tactics to take advantage of unit differentiation. The variation in units is a plus for replayability.

Next: More gameplay