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REVIEW: MageSlayer RETURN TO THE INDEX MageSlayer GAME SUMMARY Company: GT Interactive Category: Action Platform: Windows MageSlayer GAME MENU The Review:    What WE Say  What THEY Say  The Buzz  Similar Games  Game Info  Other Opinions Extras:  Demo List  Desktop Themes   Print this review [CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1] and down moves them forwards and backwards. Anybody who knows how to get around in Quake will feel very comfortable in MageSlayer. Keyboard, mouse, and joysticks are all supported and configurable. The 3-D graphics in MageSlayer are excellent when the rooms aren't too dark. The overhead perspective is a welcome change from the wave of first-person shooters on the market. The sprite-based creatures are well-drawn and are a welcome change from the blocky 3-D enemies that prowl most shooters today. The perspective does present some challenges, however. Depth perception becomes a real hazard, and jumping onto a platform is literally a leap of faith since that platform might actually be 100 feet lower. A 3-D map (or any map) would have helped this problem. The true 3-D engine also requires some horsepower. On a MHz Pentium MMX system with a Rendition-based 3D card, the game runs acceptably in 640-by-480 mode, but at 800-by-600, animation is choppier than a Ginsu commercial. MageSlayer's biggest advancement over Gauntlet is its multiplayer options. Up to 16 players can explore the dungeon together via IPX, TCP/IP, modem, or serial cable. Best of all, they can play with or against each other, and can even team up for a game of capture the relic. The only multiplayer option missing is multiple players on one PC. This is no big deal for Quake fans, but multiple players on one machine was the key ingredient of Gauntlet. It forced players to work together since nobody would get anywhere if they went opposite directions. If Raven really wanted to make old Gauntlet players weepy-eyed, this (or a soundtrack from David Lee Roth) would have been a nice option to include. MageSlayer is neither Gauntlet nor Quake, thank God. Instead it's a refreshing mix of the two that is fast-paced and a lot of fun. If you're an action gamer looking for a break from first-person shooters, MageSlayer is a sound consumer choice. Take a tip from the business world and increase your overhead today. You will surely profit in fun and frags. -- Hugh Falk Hugh Falk, a known gaming felon, started PC gaming 15 years ago on his TI 99/4A, later adding a Commodore 64 and an Atari ST to his weapons collection. He is now serving a five-year sentence writing game reviews. Article written:   CLICK TO ENLARGE SCREENSHOTS