Wheel of Time, The - PC

While most first-person shoot-em-ups are action-based, packed with plenty of weapons and featuring excessive amounts of guts and gore, there are a few exceptions in the genre. Mixing role-playing elements with a first-person perspective is Wheel of Time from Infogrames. Faced with the challenge and might of the Dark One’s army, you will embark upon a quest of epic proportions.

Based upon the Unreal engine, Wheel of Time looks absolutely fantastic. Capable of resolutions up to 1600x1200, those of you with large monitors can enjoy the visual benefits of WOT to the fullest. But even those handicapped with low spec machines and pea-sized monitors can still enjoy it for the most part. However, it is ultimately the gameplay that makes WOT shine. Inexperienced players are advised to work through the game’s tutorial modes where there is plenty to learn. When beginning your adventure, you will soon find that you have no physical weapons. However, this is where the role-playing element comes in. Here, instead of weapons and armour, you have offensive and defensive magic. That can be collected throughout the game’s complex levels. All magic spells are listed at the bottom of the playing screen, and each can be easily selected through the keyboard’s number pad. There are plenty of levels to tackle, although the learning curve is shallow and won’t push the player’s abilities too much.

Once you get to grips with the unusual magic system, there is a lot of fun to be had here. It’s involving, but not too frustrating or brain-scramblingly challenging. It’s a good balance, and that makes it a great game.
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