If you know role-playing games, you know Might and Magic. Since the first game in the series shipped back in 1986, New World Computing's universe of epic quests, evil warlords, and powerful magic has been one of the definitive markers in shaping the face of computer-based role-playing. Still, like Sir-Tech and Origin, New World Computing has been faced with a changing market. The fact is, while the hard-core gamers still want stat-driven turn-based titles that require two weeks of study just to create a character (no angry letters please, I myself am one of these freaks), the majority of today's gamers want their fantasy served up with a little bit of action.

The question is how do you develop a game that will make both happy at the same time? Origin tried (disastrously) to add action to Ultima 8 in the form of Mario-like platform-jumping sequences and later tried to gather new gamers in a different way by adding online capability to its gameworld in Ultima Online. Sirtech added a lot of new graphics and a "hands-on" combat interface in its attempt to lure the newbie crowds its way. Newcomers like Blizzard's Diablo and Bethesda's The Elder Scrolls series have shown that a successful RPG/action blend is attainable, but there are plenty of failures out there, Interplay's Descent to Undermountain being a perfect example, that show that the blend is by no means an easy thing to come by.

So what's the answer? Here's New World Computing's answer: Keep the same gameworld, character stats, and quest structures, and place them into a hybrid engine that enables action fans to mash their fire button furiously while still enabling old-school RPG fans to follow combat more carefully in a turn-based system. While fans of the old X-COM series may be cringing at the idea of another hybrid system, the great thing about Might and Magic VI's approach is that it can be switched on or off at any time during the game - even in the middle of combat.