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[Oddbrother]

• I believe this game had the word 'Arena' in the title.
• It's a DOS game.
• Fantasy setting.
• Unlike Gladiator, this game is turn-based.
• Year unknown, possibly early 90s.
• Each player controls a mage, who can cast an array of spells and summon creatures.
• The title screen had an animated logo, and the main menu's background was just a jumbled mess of characters on a flat plain underneath a starry sky.
• Your cursor was a wire-drawn star (like a pentagram) that changed colors and left a short trail with every move you make.
• With the death of each mage, you get a message of the player's passing, followed by a written '*sniffle*'.
• I don't know if what I played was a demo or a full version, but at the end of each match, there was an image of a skull with red glow in its eye sockets. I don't know if it was to tease about the full version or just to tell the player that they lost.
• The graphics weren't really that pretty at the time. I think it was limited to a certain amount of colors, too. The game did play at a pretty decent screen resolution, though: 640 or higher.
• One of the mage's powers is "...to call something", which summons an indescribable creature at their command.
• They can also shoot fireballs and arrows.
• It was hosted on America Online's games service. So yes, in my eyes, it was an indie game.
• I think the mages can die in-game of old age, too.

[Smiling Spectre]

Originally Posted by Oddbrother

Each player controls a mage, who can cast an array of spells and summon creatures.

This unmistakingly define game as Chaos variation. (BTW, X-Com grown from it too. Check other Julian Gollop games, all of them have the same flair or evolved from this.

But as you say it was shareware/indy, it's probably not "proper" Chaos game, but rather clone... Let's seek...

I believe this game had the word 'Arena' in the title.

Seems it's this one. Right?

[Oddbrother]

Originally Posted by Smiling Spectre

Seems it's this one. Right?

Flawless victory!