A worthy adaptation of Simtex's Master of Magic; engrossing and fun despite its flaws. Good for fans of the genre.
The Age of Wonders 2 campaign places your wizard (named Merlin, *groan*) who sits in a tower, naturally, while your armies of soldiers, summoned creatures, and heroes basically kill off everyone else. In this regard, Age of Wonders 2 is not vastly far removed from many other fantasy turn-based strategy games on the market but it is nontheless well put together and very fun.
The campaign has Merlin travel the land in a series of episodes each tied to a particular sphere of magic. The story is sparse and continuity between the episodes is odd but with a little willing suspension of disbelief it is surmountable. For example, you begin in the Fire episode and soon gain a hero who is marginally tougher than a generic knight. At the end of the Fire episode, my hero was deadly, loaded down with artifacts, and did not need any troops with him as they only slowed him down. I had researched all the spells and skills and was wondering how the game was going to challenge me. The answer came when I began the next episode, the Water Sphere. I learned that my hero was absent and replaced with a new one and Merlin had conveniently forgotten all of his skills and was now an amateur Water Wizard instead of a nasty piece of work Fire Wizard. I felt a little cheated.
This pattern of amnesia does serve to artifically pace the game and introduce you to each of the races and spheres of magic so I cannot fault the game too much. I would never have played as a Water Wizard had the game not forced me too. Similarly, I would never willingly use halflings unless I was launching them out of catapults or feeding them to my orcs. I reckon it is good to try new things though.
Economics are very subdued in the game. You only deal with gold and mana. Resource points that produce gold are easily taken but often not worth the effort to garrison as the enemy often captures them then runs off allowing you to recapture them. This give-and-take occurs constantly throughout the game and is irritating but rarely an issue. What is annoying is that the computer adopts a siege mentality whenever you close in on their wizard. The computer will stockpile ballistas and sit behind their walls forcing you to invade. Every level I have played ends with me parking an army or nine outside the enemy's city and hurling men at the walls until it falls. Alternatively, if your hero is stout enough you can park him outside and entice the enemy to attack him.
The game is challenging as the AI makes very good use of teleporters and underground passes to flank you. However, the computer does not make great choices when it comes to making army stacks or battle tactics. Still, it can definitely keep you occupied on the higher difficulty levels.
Graphically, the game has very well detailed maps and the spell effects are good, if not spectacular. Character models have a limited range of animations but are easily recognizable. I would have liked each hero to be distinct instead of a generic hero for each race. On one level, you have two elven heroes who are identical in appearance on the map and in battle. You have to physically select them to see who is who -- adding a hat to one of the models would have made battles and map movement a much simpler affair.
Sound effects are a little weak but some of the explosive spells are really rocking out my subwoofer. The musical score is unobtrusive and appropriate, none of the tracks really stood out as outstanding or awful. Nowhere near the beauty of Heroes of Might and Magic IV, but music really comes down to personal preference. I did love the death scream of halflings though. A battlefield littered with those fat shoeless freaks is heart-warming no matter whether you won or lost.
All in all, Age of Wonders 2 is a fun game if you like similar games. It adds interesting elements, is solid in gameplay, and has a good variety of units. Being a few years old, it is easy to find at a reasonable price. Still, if you can handle 1994 era graphics, Master of Magic delivers a better experience.