Age of Wonders II: The Wizard's Throne Review

The original Age of Wonders was something of a cult classic. It didn't set any sales records, but it did quietly develop a loyal following of gamers attracted to its great gameplay and strategic depth.  Now the game's sequel, Age of Wonders II: The Wizard's Throne, has arrived, adding new features to the game while trying to preserve the elements that made the original so enjoyable.

If you played Age of Wonders, then I'll just tell you right now that you will undoubtedly enjoy the sequel.  The gameplay has remained essentially true to the original, with some enhancements and graphical improvements, as well as new units and spells.  If you are new to the series, don't worry; Age of Wonders II stands on its own and you won't be confused or at any disadvantage if you missed the first game.

At its core, Age of Wonders II is a turn-based game set in a high fantasy world.  Play takes place on colorful, animated maps which are home to cities, income and mana producing points, dungeons and ruins, and an assortment of wandering monsters.  Many maps also feature a subterranean level as well, effectively doubling the size of the maps and providing you with a potential way to sneak up on less vigilant opponents.  As in most strategy games, control of the cities and income points is critical to success, as units are created in the cities and bought with gold from the income producers. 

At the center of your forces is your wizard - you only get one and if he or she dies you are out of the game.  Your wizard will be your most powerful unit, capable of casting powerful spells and summoning creatures to fight for your cause.  You'll need to carefully balance your desire to use the powerful wizard in important battles with your need to keep him or her alive.  The game does provide three things that will allow you to keep your wizard out of harm's way while still utilizing his or her powers.  The first is the wizard's tower structure that can be built in cities.  When the wizard occupies a city with a tower, he has the ability to cast spells over a wide area centered on the tower.  The towers can also be upgraded themselves, further increasing the range.  Secondly, there are special magic structures which will extend your wizard's domain when they are captured.  Finally, there are heroes.

Heroes are not very common units, but when you have the opportunity to recruit one, you should take it.  The heroes themselves are powerful combat units, but they also have additional assets.  Heroes extend a small radius of power around themselves in which your wizard can cast spells, so they automatically are backed by the power of your wizard.  Heroes can also carry magical weapons, armor, and artifacts, further increasing their effectiveness.  Lastly, heroes can gain levels with combat experience, gaining better combat or other special abilities as they level up. 

The main way that you will expand your influence and capture more cities and structures is through your armies.  Armies consist of groups of one to eight units that are created in your cities or recruited from neutral camps.  Age of Wonders II features over 130 different units drawn from 12 different races.  Building armies of the right mix of units is critical and requires some strategic thought - an army of 8 human knight units is quite strong, but can be helpless against an army consisting of all flying units.  Despite the 8 unit limit, battles can be a lot larger and involve far more units because any units adjacent to the attacking and defending armies are drawn into the battle as well.

Once a battle ensues, you have the option of controlling it directly or letting the computer resolve it for you.  The computer does a pretty good job with the battles on its own - you can feel safe letting the computer resolve your battles while you concentrate on the overall strategic side of the game, safe in the knowledge that the computer won't ineptly lose your armies for you.  Should you want to control the battles yourself, play will move to a tactical map featuring the terrain of the battle site and the opposing units lined up for battle.  Play proceeds in a turn-based manner, with each unit having the opportunity to move in turn until all units on a side have completed their move.  The huge variety of units available in the game makes for a large number of tactical approaches to the battles, as you'll have melee, ranged, and magical units to contend with, as well as your and your opponent's wizard's spell books.  The AI is a very competent opponent in battle mode, so don't think that you will win a lot more often just because you take control of the battles yourself.

Depending on the scenario or map you are playing, you'll face up to seven other wizards drawn from a pool of 14.  Each wizard in the game subscribes to one of the game's seven spheres of magic and is closely associated with one of the 12 races.  They also each have a bit of their own personality, so the game tends to take on a different character depending on who your opponents are.  The game provides a diplomatic screen with which you can make contact with the other wizards to offer alliances and exchange items, but it is not utilized much during the campaign game.  In the campaign game, your enemies and allies are pretty much determined for you, unless you decide to take on the world and start attacking your allies.

In addition to the other wizards, the world is inhabited by four god-like spirits: war, order, nature, and magic.  Certain actions such as building shrines or looting cities will bring favor from the corresponding spirit in the form of quests.  Quests require the player to perform actions which ranged from building structures to looting cities or hunting infidels.  Completing a quest will reward the player with gold, mana, or special items, while failing to complete a quest will result in disfavor with the offering spirit.  While pleasing these spirits does have its definite benefits, there does not seem to be that much of a downside to incurring their wrath.  Complete the quests that you can for the rewards, and the others that are harder to pursue can pretty much be ignored without penalty.

Age of Wonders II is a challenging game for several reasons.  The sheer variety of units and maps alone make for a wide variety of  strategic approaches - unlike some games you can not rely on the same basic strategy while mowing your way through the scenarios.  Also, the AI is quite competent and makes for a challenging opponent.  Even strategy veterans will find themselves replaying some scenarios several times before being able to emerge victorious.  Finally, the games are long, and so there is plenty of opportunity to pay dearly for a wrong move somewhere along the line.  The game's campaign scenarios routinely run for well over 100 turns assuming that you survive to the end.  While all of this is great for veteran gamers, beginners should be aware that the game may prove frustrating at times, so only those with patience should try tackling it.  On the positive side for new players, the game's interface is well designed and easy to use for a game of this depth.

The graphics in Age of Wonders II are really good for a 2D isometric game.  The maps are colorful, animated, and interesting, and there is a large variety of unique spell animations.  Each unit has its own unique look to it, as well as its own animations as it moves and fights.  For example, the halfling sheriff unit trails smoke from its torches as it moves across the map.   This attention to detail goes a long way to bringing the game's world to life and making it a more immersive experience.

In The End, This Game Hath Been Rated: 89%. The tough AI might limit its appeal, but it is an excellent addition to any strategy gaming veteran's library.

System Requirements:  300 MHz Pentium III CPU; 64 MB RAM; 4 MB Video RAM; 8x CD-ROM; 560 MB Hard Drive Space; Mouse.