Review by: Jim Brumbaugh

Published: March 20, 1997

In the multiverse known as Dominia, a great battle has been undertaken. On the plane of Shandalar, the one plane in all of Dominia in which mana is so plentiful that the casting of magical spells is commonplace, a struggle for the dominion of the plane is being waged by five different wizards. To the first wizard who gains enough power to cast the Spell Of Dominion, immortality awaits – or, so he/she thinks. The planeswalker Arzakon, attracted to Shandalar years earlier by the power of the mana inherent to the plane, is attempting to invade and conquer the plane via the efforts of the five wizards. Even though the Great Barrier had been created around the plane of Shandalar to keep Arzakon away, it had managed to seep some of its spirit through the barrier and corrupt the five wizards. The five wizards, each one representing one of the five colors of Magic, have been duped: in reality, the Spell Of Dominion will not grant its caster control of the plane, but rather, will destroy the Great Barrier and allow Arzakon access to this mana-rich plane.

Since the plane’s greatest heroes are long dead, a wandering amateur spellcaster has been convinced to take on the challenge of being the savior of Shandalar. If he is unable to defeat the five wizards, Shandalar will meet its doom.

In the role of Magic: The Gathering‘s novice spellcaster, the player is given numerous tools to perform this monumental task. These tools are provided in the form of cards which detail the effects of casting different Magic spells: creature summoning spells, artifacts, sorceries and enchantments, to name just a few. By tapping the land for mana, used as the power to cast his spells, the spellcaster must battle with the minions of the various wizards, eventually invading the wizard’s castles and defeating each one.

The residents of the plane of Shandalar will assist the spellcaster on his journey by selling new spells and food to him, by sending him on quests for which he will be paid in colored amulets that can then be traded for new spells, and by occasionally providing him with clues as to the secret, hidden locations of the most powerful spells. On occasion, a Mana Link will be offered for the completion of a quest, which will give the spellcaster one additional point of life as long as the link remains active. As he walks throughout the plane from village to city and back again, he will encounter the minions of the five enemy wizards who are seeking to destroy him. If the spellcaster chooses not to avoid the fight by paying gold or answering a riddle, he will be forced to duel the creature until either he or the creature has no remaining life. At the end of each successful duel, the spellcaster is given the option of accepting one or more spells that were in the possession of the demised beast, or learning of a clue as to the location and spell contents of one of the many dungeons scattered throughout the land.

However, the spellcaster is not the only creature visiting the towns and towers of the land. The enemy wizards will send out beasts to specific cities from time to time, with the purpose of binding them inside a magical dome – a Mana Dome. When any one wizard is in control of enough Mana Domes, he/she will have the ability to cast the Spell Of Dominion, allowing Arzakon to destroy the plane of Shandalar.

If the player is not interested in participating in the quest to save Shandalar, another option awaits. He can build a deck consisting of any of the spells included in the game (or choose one of the sixty pre-designed decks provided with the game), and fight against another deck in a single duel or a two-out-of-three match. For anyone not familiar with the game of Magic, several multimedia lessons are also provided to educate them in the ways of the Dominia multiverse.