Wizard 101

Game: Wizard 101

Publisher: Kings Isle

Download or web based: Download

What you get if you pay: Crowns are used to purchase enhanced items and pets and unlock additional areas and cities.

Review: In Wizard 101 a student wizard is embarking their first trip to school while undertaking the quest of stopping an evil wizard from taking over the worlds. Many worlds make up the Spiral universe than houses Wizard 101. They are accessed via the Wisdom Tree, .

Each basic element has it's own class and with it spells that can be learned. Equipment worn is also dependent on which element a character is.

After taking a short quiz or manually selecting an elemental class to join a player is introduced to and sent on a few introductory quests to meet the other professors and find out how the school runs. As quests are completed experienced is gained and levels are increased, allowing for more powerful “spells” to be learned from the chosen school. Spells utilizing other elements can be learned from the other schools by spending Training Points awarded for completing specific quests.

Combat can be loosely described as “card-based.” A player's collection of spells can be equipped into a deck whose size is limited by the exact deck equipped. Deck customization can be done at any time not in battle. Early on decks are limited to a small number of spells and only 3 copies of each spell are allowed. Later decks allow for larger numbers of spells and more copies to be placed in them.

During a battle a player is given 7 of their equipped spells to choose from. After selecting a spell and target each participant in the battle takes their own turn casting. Damage done to foes is dependent on the strength of the spell, its element, and the element of the targeted enemy. More powerful spells require Points that are gained once per round. These spells have longer animations and do more damage.

Damage from battles is healed by walking into red “sprites” that float around the various combat areas or automatically regenerated in the central areas of cities. Used Mana Points are recharged by walking into the blue “sprites” that also float in the combat areas. Mana Points do not automatically recharge but can be refilled by playing one of 8 mini-games themed in the Wizard 101 world. Potion bottles can be obtained from certain quests. These bottles instantly recharge Hit and Mana Points and can also be refilled from playing mini-games.

Each character is assigned a dorm room that can be used to store unused equipment and decorated with items won in battles or rewarded in quests. After reaching a certain level a house can be purchased and used to store more decorations. Houses come with a yard area that can be improved with trees, statues, and mock-ups of other buildings.


Rating: 3/10 Game play is great and combat varies from battle to battle enough to keep from getting monotonous. Animations from spell casting vary from exciting to funny. Areas and cities are beautiful (or spooky) enough to swallow a player into the environment. Low rating is based strictly on free aspect. Teasing players with the experience then requiring one to purchase Crowns to unlock additional areas to complete quests and advance the storyline is very frustrating. Without taking in to consideration the quick need to unlock areas this game is a definite 9/10.

Runes of Magic

Game: Runes of Magic

Publisher: Frogster

Download or web based: Download

What you get if you pay: Diamonds can be purchased and used to buy chests containing various helpful items. Mounts for speedy travel, potions for resurrection, and vials to increase skill levels are also available. Purchasing Diamonds also earns Rubies which can be used in a secondary shop of their own.

Review: Runes of Magic takes place in the land of Taborea. Residents of the land live in small villages and farms, outpost towns, and large, fortified cities. Players themselves also have “houses” that can be entered from many wide-spread areas. The houses can also be customized with furniture purchased from a merchant (for decoration only) or the Item Shop (which can boost experience and other things). Furnishings range from simple rugs and chairs to elaborate beds or even animal head trophies that can be hung on the walls.

Character creation is simple despite the variety of customizable features. Height, facial features, and hair style/color are options along with chest size, arm and leg muscle bulk and hip size.

Choosing a character's class at the beginning isn't as important in this game as it is in some. Other classes can be accessed after achieving level 10 and used as a new main class or utilized as a secondary class to boost the main class's traits and skills. Mages can use a Rogue's throwing skill to get the attention of foes and save their Mana points for powerful spells to take the angry enemy out.

Combat is accomplished by simply attacking a foe or walking past an aggressive enemy that will attack on its own. When the enemy is defeated experience and training points are gained. Training points can be used to increase combat skill levels. When utilizing the dual-class system only the main class's skills can be leveled.

Weapons, armor, potions, and many other items can be crafted from materials collected from many points in the fields. Collecting basic materials increases the level of the basic skills and allows for the collection of items to craft higher level weapons, pieces of armor, and other items. While the basic materials can be found practically anywhere they can be refined and used to craft items only when in range of tool benches for the specific craft type. Hunks of wood can only be made into pieces of lumber near Carpentry Tools in and around villages and towns. There are NPCs near each set of tools that can sell recipes for crafting as skill levels increase.

Player versus player is limited on some servers and wide open on others. Defeating other players in combat can shift one's alignment one way or another, depending on the alignment of challenger and challenged. As one progresses up or down the alignment scale exclusive weapons and armor become available to use.

Rating: 9/10 Excellent graphics and smooth transition from one map zone to another. Large variety of quests in starting areas eliminates boredom when leveling multiple classes for the dual-class system. Combat is straightforward and simple, but allows for quite a bit of strategy whether solo or in a party.