DESCRIPTION

In Dark Wizard, the magical land of Cheshire is dominated by the destructive and evil ways of the Dark Wizard Velonese who soon hopes to release the Dark God Arliman from the Jewel of Darkness which has held him captive for centuries. All of Cheshire has been taken over by Velonese except for the kingdom of Quentin, where one of four warlords hopes to claim the land that Velonese's elemental demons have taken over in recent years. The motives of these warlords include nobility (Prince Armer and Robin, Cheshire's finest warrior), personal gain (Amon the vampire) and revenge against Velonese (Krystal the enchantress).

Once a player has chosen a warlord, the game can begin. The player is able to summon mystical beasts and purchase fighters, clerics and mages. Since each warlord has different abilities and different motives, each is capable of recruiting different beasts and warriors than other warlords.

The player moves each warrior in a strategic fashion on the hexagon-based battlefield. When a player confronts an enemy soldier (some have better range than others), the warrior can attack, a counter-attack almost certain to follow. Meanwhile, there are many items that may be purchased or found that can bolster a warrior's effectiveness. After each castle has been regained from the forces of Velonese the player is then taken to a map where the next point of attack must be decided. Once every space on the map has been wrested from Velonese (and this takes quite a while), the player has freed Cheshire and won the game. ~ Christopher Michael Baker, All Game Guide