The game that I think deserves a sequel is a strategy game that I have mentioned frequently in previous Questions of the Week: Master of Magic. This game was a phenomenal strategy game that combined Civilization-style depth with tactical combat and a fantasy world. It had a deep technology tree rooted in magic; global enchantments that could shape the world; a slew of fascinating creatures, from dragons to angels to death knights; different races of spellcasters and schools of magic; and, of course, the tactical battles that just added another layer to the involving gameplay.

Since that time, some five or six years ago, there have been a litany of supposed successors, such as the Heroes series, Age of Wonders, Disciples, and so on. Heroes was by far the most successful and is a good - dare I say great - game in its own right, but none of them ever approached the depth, challenge, complexity, and sheer fun of Master of Magic. More so than Master of Orion, I consider Master of Magic SimTex and MicroProse's crowning achievement. The fact that so many turn-based fantasy games have surfaced in the past several years shows me that there is still a demand for a turn-based fantasy game. Many people at MicroProse realized this too, and that's why there were vocal developers in the now-defunct MicroProse Alameda studio who wanted to start work on a sequel to the classic. Unfortunately, when the reorganization of the company was finalized, among the casualties of the restructuring was MicroProse Alameda and the budding Master of Magic 2 project. For all intents and purposes, a game that had barely begun was now dead.

So I hope that by writing about Master of Magic, we can convince Hasbro that there are still legions of fans and a market that will wait with bated breath for a sequel to Master of Magic. With the exception of Warcraft II, this game is the most cherished and beloved fantasy-strategy game ever produced. I know that, fans know that, a few enlightened developers know that. Let's just hope we can convince Hasbro of that fact. Because no game deserves a sequel as much as this great classic does.

Next: Total Annihilation