Shannara Review

Oh No!!! Not another Combat!!!!

Shannara is a graphic adventure

based on the Terry Brooks #1 best- selling novel “Sword of Shannara”. It takes

place in a world where magic, wit, and combat are essential to survival. It

opens with a beautifully rendered gnome chanting with an arcane tome in hand.

Suddenly the book glows and Brona, the dark wizard, rises. After morphing the

poor gnome into several creatures, the game begins. You play Jak Ohmsford, a

young boy who must find a way to overcome the ancestral hatred that divides

the Four Lands.

You

begin your quest at a stream and must solve a myriad of puzzles by using the available

clues. Soon after you begin to travel, you come upon an old friend, an

archer, Shella. The two of you venture into the unknown fighting hordes of

unearthly beasts. You must find the Sword of Shannara and wield its powers

against Brona to save your homeland. As you travel, you uncover the secrets

of magic and gain powerful allies. These are your tools for survival and

victory.

The books that this game is based

upon are extremely well written and a treat to any fantasy reader. However,

the game doesn’t seem to match up. The opening scenes were exquisite. The comic-like

characters were drawn very well. Even the monsters in the combat window were

impressive. These days, most of us have had our share of graphic adventures,

so we know what to look for when puzzle solving. Shannara works extremely well

with the player; giving the clues and ingredients necessary to get through the

game. You use a mouse for the entire game, and it was nice not having to switch

back and forth between mouse and keyboard. Even the newcomer will fare well

knowing that Shannara is simple and easy to control. The sound effects

are good, the music is perfect, and character voices are phenomenal! The problem

with the game is the interaction. Every time a character has something to say,

no matter how unimportant, the screen changes to a comic-like face while they

talk. If you try to cross a river that’s too deep, the screen changes to a character

making a dopey comment. Then you go back to the map; accidentally touch the

river again and whammo… there’s that same character with the same stupid line!

Another problem is the combat.

I found myself wondering why they wasted the time to draw out decent-looking

monsters for such a boring turn-based fight scene which is exactly the same

thing every time with different enemies. Your party attacks. The enemies attack.

Your party attacks. The enemies attack. Over and over with no thrilling changes.

As for turn-based combat, I’ve had much more fun playing The Bard’s Tale in

the 80’s. And the graphics in Shannara are ten times better! Finally, I was

a little shocked that a game with combat didn’t have any character stats or

levels. It’s hard to gauge how you’ll do against six enemies without having

a comparison point. You’re given a green health bar for all your allies. But

no matter how hurt you are, by the next battle, you’re at full health with no

chance of improvement. Kind of a big omission for this type of game.

All in all, I’d not suggest this game to the hard core Doom/Quake fan.

Nor would I reccomend it to Roleplayers or Action fans. And if you loved

games like Full Throttle or Space Quest, this isn’t for you. It is, however,

a good game for fans of the novel who have lots of patience and for

younger/beginner graphic adventure fans. My suggestion to the rest of you is to pass this one

up! You’re not missing much!