A newborn of the latest magical creation from Bullfrog, Magic Carpet has succeeded in surpassing all that has been made since in the history of game playing in the world of 3D engine.
The game could almost be considered as a flight simulator (the original idea of the programmers) since the sensation of flight during the game is intense. Nevertheless, Magic Carpet is not a flight simulator, but much more!
History begins when the Old Gods created the world. Each living being received a vital energy called mana. When man discovered its existence, he tried to use it, but only some of them succeeded and became powerful wizards. Unfortunately, rilvalry started to establish themselves within the wizards and eventually, some of them learnt how to become even more powerful by using the black arts up until one day, when one of them shattered the world into many worlds.
As an apprentice sorcerer, your ultimate goal will be to restore the balance in this devastated world. To achieve this, you will have to possess the most mana in each of the worlds. This can be found either among the monsters that you will run into, or belonging to other rival sorcerers. Once conquered, the mana will be transported towards your castle by hot air balloons. You will be armed with spells that you will discover along the way in magic places where many surprises await you.
The game's introduction is without a doubt the most beautiful I have ever seen. It's a profusion of sounds, music, and graphics with incredible light effects, all lasting several minutes! (truly a first!) When the game begins, you are floating on the flying carpet seen in the introduction. Either the joystick or mouse used with the keyboard serve as the controls. If, by chance, you happen to own the VFX 1 from Forte Technologies, you certainly are very lucky because the game supports this new add-on which launches you into the world of Virtural Reality.
The keyboard takes care of the speed and lateral displacements, while the mouse or joystick let you rise up into the air and dive towards the ground and the sea. Once you have become accustomed to the commands, you will be able to ride over landscapes, like Aladdin of old!
You will discover settlements made up of tents and houses, as well as your castle or that of your rivals. In the villages, life follows its course and you will be able to observe the inhabitants who attend to their occupations. Palm trees are scattered all over the islands and sometimes clusters form a little oasis.
When you approach the shore, you see the movement of the breaking waves as well as the water's reflection. What's more, the sound of the waves are as perceptible as the wind when you gain altitude, or the sound of the palm leaves. Different options are available to add or remove details, like the water reflections, the sky, softened image, etc...
Next come your first adversaries who trouble these delicious moments of wondering above your earth. The first to attack you will be the vultures who use their claws to inflict wounds upon you, not to mention the Worms armed with fireballs.
To defend yourself, you also use fireballs (on the condition that you find the hidden spell somewhere on your earth) to destroy them. Meanwhile, at worst you will use your spells, which consume energy. It will be necessary for you to mark your habitations with your color (white) when you play alone against the computer, so that you will possess the most mana.
Upon defeating one of the creatures it releases all the mana it had at the moment of its death. By means of a spell, this can be enlarged until it reaches a very imposing size on the map, the advantage being that he may contain more mana.
In terms of levels (there are 50!), creatures even more terrifying appear such as the Wyvern, Genie, Kraken, Griffin, etc... but also other sorcerers. A total of 13 different kinds of demonic creatures confront you in the world of Magic Carpet.
Fortunately, spells of greater and greater strength are available during the game to ward off the attacks of these monsters. For example, the Lighting Storm fires in all directions destroying everything in a certain area, or the Volcano which creates gigantic eruptions (ideal for the destruction of your adversary's palace!).
NC Magic Carpet offers 24 spells, each more incredible than the other by their special effects. You will learn to use them judiciously knowing that some consume more energy, while others prove less effective against certain creatures.
Electronic Arts Limited
GRAPHICS------------------- 98% 90 Heron Drive, Langley
SOUND ------------------- 95% Berkshire SL3 8XP, England.
MUSIC ------------------- 95% Tel: +44-(0)753-549-442
GAMEPLAY------------------- 95%
INTEREST------------------- 93% Electronic Arts Inc.
1450 Fashion Island Blvd.
San Mateo, CA 94404-2064
OVERALL ------------------- 95% Tel: 415-571-7171
800-513-7555
