Previous Next

Are you a Wizardry adventurer? If not, it's time for you to look through past issues for the reviews of Wizardry I and II. Otherwise, here's the latest Wizardry news. Well, there I was in Gigamesh's Tavern sipping real ale when a thief came up and asked: "How's about a pint?"

What could I say? I bought him a drink and we both got talking. It turned out that he'd been waiting for Boltac's parcel post to deliver a new adventure for quite a while now.

It was true though, it had been months since the Staff of Gnilda had been recovered, and my sword was gathering rust. So I asked him if he needed a fighter to come along on the adventure. Before you could say "Bleeb calls for help" we had made a deal. Who could have guessed that he could pay me in Creeping Coins? Never trust a thief!

Seven months and dozens of enquiring phone calls later the thief's adventure arrived - Wizardry III: The Legacy Of Llylgamyn.

Although there are no new spells, and the castle offers no new facilities, Wizardry has taken on quite a different look. All the text is in chunky white hi-res, and a system called "Windo-Wizardry" has been introduced.

The display system involves framed "windows" of text which may be laid over each other and peeled off again - something like Lisa's display.

Thanks to Windo-Wizardry the maze now occupies the entire screen. Informational windows of text may be toggled on and off as desired.

The new format is very nice and as Sir-Tech say, helps the player become more engrossed in the maze. The other obvious changes are listed within the scenario package:

1. You can make an additional scenario disc with a single disc drive.
2. You must play on an additional scenario disc.
3. The *ROSTER command has been shortened to *.
4. Pressing * in Gigamesh's Tavern will list names eligible to join the party.
5. A new (P)ool gold option transfers all party gold to one character.
6. The Quickplot option nows remembers its status over the entire duration of the playing session.
7. The combat option (B)ack has been changed to (T)ake back.
8. "Malor" has taken on a new format.
9. The option (R)ite of passage has been added to the Training Grounds inspect options menu.

The (R)ite of passage option is selected to conduct the new "Rite of Passage" ceremony. The ceremony has been introduced so that your adventurers may be rejuvenated. It involves transferring the characters to the scenario disc where "their spirits are joined with apprentice adventurers from the training grounds".

A new adventurer so created is level one and inherits the name, titles and depleted characteristics of an original character. Only newly-created characters may be used.

After the ceremony it's off to Boltac's new look trading post. I say new look because all the items are new. Weapons like broadswords and battle axes are available, and you need a dictionary to find out which items are the helmets.

Down in the six level maze the monsters and their pictures have been changed. The graphics are superb, and are now placed in the centre of the screen.

Pictures are displayed not only for monsters, but for some rooms that the first Wizardry manual termed "specials". As well as this, complexes have been included in the maze - such as a fort with a moat.

These areas become apparent when mapping out the maze, and along with the "specials" help create a comprehensive world.

The power of the monsters is disappointing, this being a scenario for players with some experience. Most monsters in the first three levels will succumb to a "Katino" spell, and few in the whole game cast spells higher than level three.

On the good side though, many monsters are straight from "Dungeons & Dragons" and most behave in a traditional way.

Surprisingly, encounters have become rarer than in past scenarios. The treasures found afterwards are more fantastic than ever and challenge even the best player to guess their nature. I'd love to know what a "necromancy rod" and countless other items do.

The scenario theme is strong. Basically, your characters must work their way up a volcano to claim a mystical orb from a great dragon. Much to my delight, the storyline is displayed in clever hi-res pictures when the disc is booted.

The challenge is the hardest yet, and reaching the orb should take at least a month of hard adventuring. Most people should take longer, especially with the latest emphasis on riddles.

There are at least five riddles, four of which may not be bypassed by the "Malor" spell. There seem to be no errors in this scenario, and the "Malikto" spell has been corrected. Identifying in the castle is still not possible though, an addition that I thought might have been made. From what I hear, the future Wizardry scenarios are going to be made much more complex.

May I suggest that jumping straight from Wizardry I to Wizardry III is a good idea? Many people, myself included, felt that The Knight Of Diamonds was disappointing.