Age Of Wonders 2

List Price: $24.99 Discount Price: $59.95

Accessories:
PC Gamer (1-year)	Games for Windows: The Official Magazine

Customer Reviews:

Good, but lacking [Posted on 2004-10-08]
After playing the original Age of Wonders (and becoming hopelessly addicted to it), I was ecstatic when AOW2 was released. I rushed right out and picked up a copy, hoping for great improvements to one of my now favorite games. Unfortunately that was not the case. While the graphics and audio are mildly improved, I felt gameplay took several steps back, at least in the single player campaign. The new units were nice and had a good variety between the different races. Unfortunately, the wizard/hero system that this game revolves around is terribly one dimensional - spell reasearch is your only real option, unlike the original where you had many different skills to choose from, so you could basicly make your leader/heros into whatever you envisioned them as being.
The single player campaign is fun to play through, the first time. After that it's gets pretty boring. Scenarios are fun, but I liked the campaigns of the first AOW, where you really had a choice in the direction the game went. You could start as good guy and end up on the side of evil, or vice versa. You be righteously good (as the Highmen), plain old good (as the Elves), run-of-the-mill bad (as the Dark Elves), or evil incarnate (as the Undead). This made for massive replayablity, which is lacking in AOW2 - You're Merlin and no matter what you do the game ends the same. The multi-player options are fine and might give more play options, if you like multi-player gaming (I don't, as I prefer to start a game and play at any time - not worrying about others schedules).
Overall, not a horrible game and fun for a while, just not up to the standards of the original.

Good game, but campaign mode is difficult [Posted on 2004-11-04]
I would recommend getting Age of Wonders: Shadow Magic over this game. It is basically Age of Wonders 2.5 and adds its own campaign with an easier starting gradient as well as new units, races, spells and balance tweaks. All of the single-player downloadable maps for AOW2 are still available and useable for Shadow Magic as well as new maps just for it.
Oh, and this is a turn-based strategy game if you didn't know already, kind of like a complex boardgame (think Fantasy version of Risk times 5) where the computer takes care of all of the complicated stuff.

Finally played it [Posted on 2005-12-05]
As I clear the back log of games to be played, I was surprised that I enjoyed the game. I play AOW and didn't really care for it. There were different races but they all felt the same to me.

AOWII changed that. There were definatly strength and weaknesses to each. You get to find them as you have to play each in the game

The underground made for some planning as the enemy could double back and attack lightly defended rear cities.

The main character(you) isn't all powerfull on the battlefield. I found it was best to put Merlin(could there have been a better name?) in a town with a level3 tower and farcasting ability and let him rain death from afar. At times it carried the battlefield.

Probably the hardest level was Death 1. You could not build up forces on a defense war. Starting out attacking didn't help either. I found it was best to pull a "Shermans March" and build up a few bone dragons, leave some forces and to delay the enemy and march and look for Meander. As I found a town with a tower, I took it sold off they tower and the champion builds and moved on. Maybe I was lucky.

The finaly battle I did find the AI to be a little stupid with Juliach. She would come in with superior numbers and I with one Red Dragon and she would use two hell storms and wipe out her army. Red dragons carried the day.

Many spells to choose from. Didn't get to use them all.

Overall I played for many hours and was happy to see it finished. Though the final movie could have been more.

Hopefully an AOWIII will happen!

best tbs game around [Posted on 2006-03-18]
i bought 4 copies of age of wonders to give out as christmas
presents to the friends who enjoy table-top wargames and that
liked to get together every so often to play.
about a year later i bought 2 copies of age of wonders 2 for me
and my brother inlaw to play,we've even got my wifes dad
involved in playing..
great game,just as good as Heros of Might & Magic.

Great Follow up to AoW I [Posted on 2006-10-29]
Several new changes that make it more of a challenge, yet keep the spirit of AoW I. Really enjoyed this game play.

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