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Welcome to the land of Llylgamyn. The balance of the Four Elemental Forces was undone and the nexus of that rift lies in the Heart of the Maelstrom. It will continue to grow and engulf our entire world. You must save the Gatekeeper and stop the evil Sorn but first you must enter the Temple Maze and find G'Bli Gedook for further clues. Sounds like a job for 5 worthy adventurers like yourself.
Gilgamesh's Tavern is where you find and maintain your group. The Adventurer's Inn is a place to get some rest and restore energy. The Temple of Cant is where the impossible is possible...for a price! They can cure most conditions - even death but sometimes things go wrong and well...you might end up much worse than when you came in - but that's rather rare. Nevermind me, the priests have a good track record but there was that one time with my high level bishop...hmmm?
Boltac's Trading Post will meet all your one-stop-shopping needs. Go to the Training Grounds where you can add versitile Humans, sturdy Dwarfs, nimble Gnomes, wise Elves and lucky Hobbits to your group. You can choose your alignment (Good, Evil or Neutral) and distribute your new character's stats so they can qualify for one of the following Basic classes - Fighter, Mage, Priest and Thief. Later on, you can upgrade them to the Elite Classes of Bishop, Samurai, Lord and Ninja.
When you're all geared up then head to The Edge of Town and enter the Maze.
The Maze is full of mystery and wonder. Be mindful of your surroundings and make sure that the maps you keep are accurate. Your powers at first are humble with a simple fireball spell here or a tiny cure spell there, yet as your experience grows, so too will your talents - hidden doors will be revealed, traps will be avoided eventually you will have the power to lay waste to entire armies or teleport to a place of safety when you're in over your head.
Now, like many other Role Playing Game titles, this offers multiple features and countless regions to explore. There is graffiti to be noted and riddles to be solved. You will meet characters to interrogate, trade with and even battle. Remember, if you're ever in trouble (poisoned, paralyzed, etc) you need to get top-side and fast.
The heart of the maelstrom is the last title in the Wizardry series on the Commodore but definitely a title to be proud of.
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| GRAPHICS - 8/10 |
The maze is depicted in simple 3D form and the enemies are large and colourful. Some of the artwork is impressive to say the least.
| | SOUND - 5/10 |
The is no sound...at all. There are some blips and steps here and there but not much more than that. In my honest opinion, once you get into the game you really don't miss it all that much.
| | PLAYABILITY - 8/10 |
The navigation system is straightforward and the story is engrossing. Both the A.I. and The Maze are well done. The disk swapping issue is tedious. I advise playing it on a C-128 if possible. It leads to much less swapping.
| | OVERALL - 7/10 |
A solid RPG with a huge maze full of both heroes and monsters. A game that has loads to offer if given a chance. Sir-Tech has written an impressive adventure that stands tall on its own merits.
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| COVER |
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; "Click to zoom!")
; "Click to zoom!")
