Magic: The Gathering - PC Review - Gamecenter

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Magic: The Gathering
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CNET Gamecenter Review
By Hugh Falk
(3/27/1997)

Most PC gamers probably have at least passing knowledge of Wizard of the Coast's fantasy card game, Magic: The Gathering (MTG). The boxes line the display counters of most software retailers. If you've never played it consider yourself lucky, and run now while you still have the chance! I know one group of MTG players who simply call it "crack" due to its addictive nature.
MTG's irresistibility has spawned two computer games. The latest, MicroProse's Magic: The Gathering, is a much more faithful reproduction of the card game than Acclaim's real-time strategy game, Battlemage.
At its roots, MTG PC (which runs under Windows 95) is a card game simulation, much like the thousands of solitaire and poker games on the market. What makes this card game more interesting, however, is that instead of a 52-card deck, it uses a deck with hundreds of unique cards, each with different abilities, penalties, and detailed fantasy artwork. I can't even begin to explain the intricacies of a duel in this review, but believe me when I say that MTG duels are far more engaging than even the feistiest rummy 500 contest.
Microprose's MTG has four components--a role-playing game set in a world called Shandalar, a card duel against the computer, a deck builder, and a multimedia tutorial.
but does it taste good?
Initially, I was dubious about the idea of wrapping MTG in a role-playing shell. Then again, once upon a time the idea of wrapping chocolate in a hard candy shell also struck me as strange. I guess I'm just afraid of newfangled Magic: The Gathering combinations. Who knew both would turn out to be successful?
At the start of the game, players choose a character and a color of magic, much like choosing a class in a traditional RPG. You then explore the world of Shandalar, fighting mages and monsters and completing quests. What makes MTG different from a standard RPG is the way MicroProse has elegantly entwined the card game's trappings in the adventures. For instance, when you encounter a creature (and there are tons and tons of creatures), the overhead map switches to the dueling table and you employ standard MTG rules and cards to battle the computer-controlled opponent. If you win, you get either some cards or a clue to a dungeon that holds more cards. Should you lose, your character doesn't die. You simply lose your ante, one of the cards in your deck. A nice touch.

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Magic: The Gathering

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