A fairly brief production of MTG for fans and newbies alike.

User Rating: 7.5 | Magic: The Gathering - Duels of the Planeswalkers PC
I'm a huge fan of the MTG franchise and purchased this for 5 bucks off Steam because I have no one around anymore to play with, it definitely doesn't beat the feeling of searching through boxes of cards to finely tune a deck that will brutally murder a friend to the point of tears ('sup affinity decks?) nor does it bring about the atmosphere of a dimly lit room full of enthusiasts yelling and laughing at the progress of each others matches. However, the creators have crafted something that long time players and newcomers alike will appreciate.

You are given the option to play a tutorial, campaign, custom match, puzzle mission or ranked/unranked online game. All with pre made decks. As you progress through the campaigns you'll go up against some familar faces in the MTG multiverse, defeating some will grant you access to their deck. Others will give you cards to add to these decks. I both praise and criticise this system; From one point of view, the decks are all well constructed and fairly easy to use. I believe this also adjusts the online metagame to make everything a bit fairer and more approachable. On the other hand, MTG is all about deck creation, that's what keeps me playing...I love the customisation and combinations that exceed any other card game out there. By limiting this they are taking away the 'spirit' of the game.

Despite the lack of deck creation, one of the features that really intrigues me is the puzzle/challenge mode. Here you are given a scenario whereby you must defeat your opponent in a single turn. Some of the solutions are quite devilish and take a few failed attempts to work out. Then again, I'm a bit rusty as I haven't played for a while :P

Overall, for the price it's a great buy and with 2 expansions there is a lot of content to plod through. The art which I've always loved is rendered beautifully across the screen and the interface works a charm. It doesn't provide the full Magic experience but it's a great way to learn the game and a must for any dedicated fan.