Download Might and Magic IV and V - World Of Xeen

In 1992 Might And Magic IV: Clouds of Xeen was released, and in 1993 it was followed by Might And Magic V: Dark Side of Xeen. I can say many good things about the Might And Magic series. But one of the most inspired ideas was when New World Computing decided to make Might And Magic IV mergeable with the later Might And Magic V. By copying all game files of Might And Magic IV to the Might And Magic V directory, you could create the epic game, World of Xeen. Some may ask what the difference is between playing the two games separately or playing the two when merged.

My answer is a lot!

Some RPG game series offered the opportunity to import your characters into the next game. This was also the procedure for Might And Magic I and II. For a non Might and Magic example, Quest for Glory offered the opportunity to import your characters from the first game right through until the fifth in the series. It's a good feature, but you had to complete the first game before you could import characters into the next. In World Of Xeen you can travel between the two games at any stage.

But that's not all.

When both Might And Magic games are combined, you get an extra side quest and another main quest. Actually, I played the game the old fashion way. I wanted to finish Might And Magic IV and then start on Might And Magic V. (Although I couldn't resist visiting Castleview, the first city in Might and Magic V.) After I covered every inch of Might And Magic IV, I still couldn't find the keys to some towers. Only after much fruitless searching did I realise that the keys were probably in Might And Magic V and those places were part of the added quest. One important thing is that these extra locations are in Might And Magic IV whether you install World Of Xeen or not, but they are only acccessed with World Of Xeen. The travel between the two worlds is well done. It fits in smoothly with the story, and you really feel as though you're travelling from one continent to another and not just passing from one game spot to another.

Here's some background to World Of Xeen. Crodo, the trusted Overseer and Adviser to King Burlock of Xeen has contacted you in a dream. He has been imprisoned in another part of Xeen by the evil Roland and needs your help. Roland has convinced the King to neglect his Kingdom in an obsessive search for a magical artifact called the Sixth Mirror. The King has spent much time and tax-payer's money on this fruitless search. Xeen is just one of a million worlds that were originally created by a powerful race call the Ancients. It was created in two parts that are meant to be united at some future time. This time is fast approaching, and the pyramids of travel are now open, enabling people to travel from one side of Xeen to another. You and some friends have gathered in a tavern in Vertigo to discuss recent strange happenings and your disturbing dreams.

I just loved this game and couldn't stop playing until I finished. World Of Xeen is magnificent in every aspect. The graphics are very beautiful and detailed. Each window into the story is splendidly designed and decorated. The character's faces vary greatly according to every situation. Whether poisoned, ill, confused, angry, amorous, etc, every emotion is revealed in their expression. The music is powerful and atmospheric, and never becomes repetitious or boring. Each track suits its environment very well. The sounds effects aren't anything special, but were great for their time.

The gameplay is very comfortable. One feature of the interface is the auto mapping, and there are spells that can expose the entire mapping area. Speaking of spells, there are a huge variety that can be used for defensive, offensive and healing purposes. There is also a variety of armor and weapons that can be used by your characters. Moving and combat can be done through the keyboard or the mouse. The games also offers a lot of puzzles to solve. At the end of the game, I had filled five A4 pages trying to solve all the puzzles and riddles encountered.

All in all, the game is great and deserves 5/5. Some consider this to be the best of the Might And Magic series, although others consider it a close tie with Might And Magic VI.

I'm not sure if it will run on XP or even Win98. It depends on your computer. My advice is to use DOSBox to emulate the sounds. I put the game on 7000 circles and it works fine. When you run the game, click 'Go.Bat' because it's cracked. When you are asked the manual questions, type anything and hit Enter. But be sure to type something when asked.

Updater's Note: The game will definitely not run with XP. I found that running the game through VDM sound offered the best gaming experience, especially where the sound was concerned. From my experience, I recommend using this program.

Part of the Might and Magic Series

Reviewed by: Black Mage / Screenshots by: Black Mage / Uploaded by: Black Mage

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