My master is dead, and he has taken the world with him. So convinced was he of his necromantic triumph, that he had me safeguard against the power of a spell whose potential was to rip all matter apart. I, his assistant, am left and our home is shattered into numerous shards. But, in his last writings, this very calamity is forseen - and he revels in it!

"The tearing apart of our living fabric is not a cause for dismay. For it may give us the opportunity to find what we seek: Mana. An unlimited supply of the most powerful essence, the very fuel of existence. And with the world reformed and the substance harboured, unlimited power."

He must share the blame for this madness with the many others who have sought power and squandered Mana on summoning creatures to do their bidding. Freed of the bonds of magic, these monsters roam the earth as lords of misrule, terrifying the people and wrecking nature.

In my master's gimoire, now my grimoire, lies my only hope. Incantations to levitate, to protect myself with fire and to bind Mana to my will. And the promise of further spells to possess as I explore the 75 worlds on my magic carpet.

Originally released for the PC, Bullfrog's own stunning, magical world.

Collect Mana by any means possible over 75 worlds.

I have been having serious difficulty keeping any substantial amount of Mana on my person, so I was happy to find a spell allowing the creation of magical castles. These act as a repository for Mana which is relatively safe. However, my first attempt was ill-judged, as I built near a town, and inadvertently destroyed some houses with my perimeter walls. The castle was to come under attack from angry bowmen.

There is an art to building castles! With each one comes a balloon which will shuttle to and forth, collecting Mana. At one point, I was peturbed to notice my balloon was resolutely hanging over the castle, with much Mana uncollected.

Then I realised the castle was capable of only confining so much Mana and would have to be expanded. Further incantations made it at once more ornate and effective.

On some worlds, the appropriation of Mana is extremely difficult, and on one was made even more so by a meddlesome opposing wizard. Despite visiting all its reaches, it became apparent that I would not possess the Mana I required to restore the world. I then decided on another course of action. Although he had shwon me no malice, I descended upon the castle of my brother magician and attacked it with my most powerful spells. His walls were soon compromised and the excess Mana spilled forth. However, my balloons could not reach it before he restored its walls, so, taking a deep breath, I lowered my castle and repositioned it within a fireball's throw of his.

Only latterly did he perceive my plan and attack my person, but I was too strong. With ruthless persistence, I slowly bled his castle of Mana until my store was complete. Not behaviour I would normally sanction, but these are desperate times.

Only latterly have I begun to appreciate the subtleties of my own and my enemies' Mana-powered spells of destruction. I soon realised that my master's bequest, the Fireball spell, would beinsufficient to the task. First, I located a gourd that held a more powerful, rapid mutation of this spell. I was elated, but directly peturbed to find I could not use it to any effect.

The page of the grimoire into which it was inserted was sealed. However, later on that same world, when my castle was much augmented, and my own body suffused with higher levels of Mana, I found I could activate its power!

I have also studied the other creatures and witnessed their own use of magic. The sea creatures (I have named them Kraken) use a form of electric energy which is far in excess of my fireballs' power. Now I too have located that spell, which should advantage me considerably.

I spent many lessons with my master learning the rudiments of perception beyond the normal sphere of sight. With this, I have been able to pinpoint the creatures of each world and, more importantly, find a quick path back to my castle. Recently I found another strange spell, which seemed cogent to this realm of magic. At first, it seemed to offer no benefit, but by concentrating on a detailed vision of the landscape, I began to see more than previously, including the position of my wizard enemies and their balloons. I have ordained to use this spell strategically whenever my purpose is lost.

I observe that although some creatures: Kraken, dragons, etc, tend to roam solitary, many of these worlds' denizens exhibit flocking behaviour. This I have learned to my cost when blundering into swarms of bees or flocks of taloned birds. In one incident, I came across a legion of strange, cloaked Undead creatures, not far from my opponent's castle. Making their relentless progress I was delighted to see them assault his walls. This turned to dismay, however, when they marched on and showed equal aggression towards my own fortress.

Initially I set to recovering Mana within the safe environs around my castle. I have since discovered that though unthreatening, this may not be the wisest course of action. The landscape is filled with triggering points (whether these are traps or quirks of nature I cannot say). When I fly over these I am aware of a change. Sometimes I find a new gift of Mana or spell but, just as frequently, new foes are summoned. One aspect I can always put to my favour is the portal system: a series of gates styled as mirrors that transport me home within the blink of an eye.

After a few days of carpeting, I can see why the cast of "Neighbours" were finding it so addictive! Magic Carpet is an incredibly compulsive experience. Initially I was rather put-off by the control sensitivity of the carpet and the range of controls (effective play means using the top buttons, A, B, Z and C buttons constantly as well as the joypad).

Also the graphic generator, though effective, looked a little rough. It's only once you've progressed a few levels into the game that you realise this doesn't matter.

Magic Carpet becomes an epic struggle between yourself and a clutch of other desperate wizards. The graphics are more than capable of creating a fantastic world to zoom around, and many of the later spells are sensational.

Magic Carpet has more subtlety than any other Bullfrog title and there are many ways to achieve your objectives: work with the computer wizards, steal their Mana, fly gung-ho or stick to your castle walls. I want to go fly again.

Look beyond the struggling graphics, the seemingly complex controls and the undeniably epic premise and you'll find something very special at the heart of Magic Carpet.

The more you play this game, the more immersed you'll become in a compelling parallel reality of wizardry and wonder. Bullfrog have, once again, come up with a game that rewards thoughtful dedication with rewarding and well-rounded gameplay - this is a finely balanced mix of shoot-'em-up action and strategy/adventure.

And it's all top-notch stuff. The extra innovations, like the atmospheric sound-effects and the dramatically-cued musical stings, help elevate this game to the realms of the classic. I was lucky enough to spend a weekend with Magic Carpet. It wasn't nearly long enough.

Graphics 90%
P. A threatening, uplifting, exhilarating 3D world.
N. Some roughness and harsh clipping of the middle distance.

Animation 82%
P. Realistic physics of Mana and creature movement.

Music 88%
P. Perfectly in-tune with the game atmosphere, and clever use of incidental 'danger music' to up the pace.

Effects 90%
P. Fantastic mystic effects and thunderous explosions, as well as depth-cued creature noises.

Playability 93%
P. Like a living board game: inherent simplicity but vast depth and infinite drama.
N. Daunting to control in the beginning.

Lastability 92%
P. The best spells and the fiercest creatures are jealously guarded by later levels. You are forced to struggle every inch of the way!

Overall 93%
Magic Carpet's world is like no other in video games. Take wings for a flight of magical fancy.