Download Summoning, The

A continuation of the story line of DarkSpyre, the game interface of The
Summoning should be very familiar to those who have played Veil of
Darkness or Dusk of the Gods. The game starts with choosing or creating
your character, the distant descendant of the Champion of DarkSpyre -
the hero who fought and stopped the god of magic, the god of war, and
the god of intellect from conquering the world of men. You are summoned
through a magical ritual by the Council, the last bastion of hope
against the hordes of the Shadow Weaver, to their hidden fortress. After
a too short training session the Council's keep is attacked, and you
barely escape by being transported into the depths of the Shadow
Weaver's island maze.

It is here the hybrid action-adventure puzzle RPG begins. The Summoning
is presented in 3D isometric view with a very unique gesture based magic
system. To cast spells you have to combine learned gestures to prepare
magic then release it when you need it. Also interesting is the ability
to liquify gems to make different potions. Combat is mainly hacking and
slashing your way through hordes of monsters, some of them which can
only be damaged by certain weapons or spells. Puzzles use different
keys, teleporters, and pressure plates and are relatively easy to figure
out in most cases.

There are many sub-quests and NPCs to meet during your quest to stop the
Shadow Weaver that both advance the plot and provide you with
information to advance through the maze. There is even a few alternate
routes you can take to make your way through the different areas to your
ultimate goal.

The game itself is long and can be frustrating at times, though the
interesting story that develops and pacing will carry you through to the
end. I bought the Summoning when it originally came out in 1992 and
still remember the long hours sitting in front of my computer printing
out NPC conversations and taking notes in my manual on different spells.
I give the game a happy 4 out of 5.

Just a note, make sure to grab the maps as the teleporter maze near the
end of the game is almost impossible without them.