Crusaders of Might and Magic
Skeletal warriors that hurl magic and wield
 maces and deadly swords are unpleasant to have around at the
 best of times but even more so when they have just entered your
 village and killed all your family. In fact nobody would be
 surprised if you were a little upset and decided to seek a bit
 of revenge, but why stop there? Why not make this a crusade to
 vanquish all these denizens from the realms of the undead? Make
 this a CRUSADE OF MIGHT AND MAGIC. (It’s Crusaders actually…!) 

Like most 3D-action RPG’s this one entails chatting to the 
natives, acquiring gold and weapons plus the use of a few magic
 potions along the way. Player’s adopt the role of Drake, a 
scarred hero bent on retribution. The trouble is that these 
hoards of undead warriors are led by Necros, the lord of the 
underworld, and his armies are almost unending. 

On your side you’ll have Celestia, an ethereal, if quite pretty
 ghostly floating head that pops up to give you a bit of advice
 from time to time. I know…! A ghostly floating head doesn’t 
seem like much help when what you really need is a few dozen 
barbarian berserkers at your side but she is quite useful – 
honest…! 

Anyway, Drake is more than capable of dispatching his fair share
 of enemies and the more he kills the better he gets at it. 
He’ll also pick up a few tricks along the way, some bigger and
 better weapons and some handy magic potions too. He even starts
 by being able to cast fireballs so he’s not completely useless. 

With 10 different shields, around 30 spells and loads of swords
 and axes etc. gameplay could be a bit confusing though,
 especially when some of the bad guys show resilience to certain 
weapons so that’s where player’s skill is tested. Pick the right 
one and you’re laughing, get it wrong and it’s back to the last 
saved game point. 

As Drake you’ll get the chance to explore around 9 medieval
 settings that include dungeons, castles, passageways and dark, 
mysterious forests – each one packed with surprises and hostile 
undead creatures. Running, jumping and climbing skills are all 
very useful but they don’t kill monsters – for that you’ll need 
to swing your sword, block with your shield or use the more 
mystical attributes that you bestow upon yourself. One handy 
option is a ‘farsight’ view, which helps you to target enemies 
from a distance and allows better accuracy when chucking axes or
 flinging fireballs and it’s always better to keep these guys at
 bay wherever possible. 

All the settings are nicely done, particularly the interiors.
 Decorations look realistic with walls draped in tapestries and
 festooned with flickering torches and characters also appear 
authentic sporting clothing that moves rather than the rigid, 
painted on’ look that you get in some titles. In battle, sparks
 fly from clashing swords and the magical effects are very 
effective which makes the game entertaining to watch as well as
 play.  

Sound also plays a big part and in CRUSADERS OF MIGHT AND MAGIC 
a good selection of background music adds a touch of theatrical 
menace to the gameplay. Grunts, moans and cries of anguish from 
the monsters also add an eerie quality to some of the scenes
 that are enough to make your neck-hairs bristle with 
anticipation and your adrenaline pulse with the thought of 
impending battle. In fact it’s quite scary in parts – so scary 
that it carries a 15 certificate and is not for the squeamish.