The Magic Candle II: The Four and Forty
| The Magic Candle II | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Developer(s) | Mindcraft Software |
| Publisher(s) | Electronic Arts |
| Platform(s) | DOS |
| Release | 1991 |
| Genre(s) | Role-playing video game |
| Mode(s) | Single-player |
The Magic Candle II is a 1991 role-playing video game for DOS. It was developed by Mindcraft Software Inc. and published by Electronic Arts, Inc.
The game takes place in a fantasy world, and has a feature to allow importing characters from the original game, The Magic Candle.
Gameplay
[edit]The game is notable for having a number of skills characters could train in to improve their effectiveness, including common role-playing game skills like "sword" and "magic", and less common skills, such as "music" and "carpentry".
The game is also notable for its magic system, which is similar to that of the seminal role-playing game Dungeons & Dragons: a magic-using character can study spells while camping at night, in order to be able to cast them the next day.
Reception
[edit]Computer Gaming World's Scorpia stated in 1992 that "Magic Candle II is an uneven sequel ... many improvements have been made, and some good touches added [but] not all those improvements have been properly implemented and, with the excessive combat, makes the game irritating at times". She concluded that the game was "still several cuts above the typical CRPG" and stated that fans of the first game would enjoy it.[1] Stefan Petrucha wrote that year that "on a technical basis, MC2 doesn't fare well at all" compared to the Ultima series, describing the graphics as "archaic". He called NPC management "cumbersome" and the built-in notes "either uselessly massive" or "fail to record important data". He nonetheless called the story "a resounding success ... eccentric and fun", and recommended the game "to whom a CRPG means story, quirky characters and plenty of atmosphere".[2] In 1993, Scorpia stated that while better than other CRPGs, Magic Candle II "isn't quite up to its predecessor".[3]
Jim Trunzo reviewed Magic Candle II: The Four and Forty in White Wolf #32 (July/Aug., 1992), rating it a 3 out of 5 and stated that "Overall, Magic Candle II is a product that will run the gamut with game players. Most people will rank MCII among the best fantasy games they've ever played due to its realism, others will be nonplused, and a few may even find it not to their taste due to the attention that must be paid to minute details. If you are looking for a game that has a somewhat unique approach to fantasy role-playing and don't mind less than state-of-the-art visuals, Magic Candle II is just the game for you."[4]
References
[edit]- ^ Scorpia (June 1992). "Scorpion's View - Mindcraft's Magic Candle II: The Four and Forty". Computer Gaming World. No. 95. Golden Empire Publications. pp. 44, 46–47. ISSN 0744-6667.
- ^ Petrucha, Stefan (August 1992). "I Can't Eat Another Byte, My Gurtex is Killing Me - Mindcraft's "Magic Candle II"". Computer Gaming World. No. 97. Golden Empire Publications. pp. 64, 66. ISSN 0744-6667.
- ^ Scorpia (October 1993). "Scorpia's Magic Scroll Of Games - A Survey Of Computer Role-Playing Games". Computer Gaming World. No. 111. Ziff Davis. pp. 37, 40. ISSN 0744-6667.
- ^ Trunzo, Jim (July–August 1992). "The Silicon Dungeon". White Wolf Magazine. No. 32. pp. 15–16.
External links
[edit]- The Magic Candle II: The Four and Forty at MobyGames
- The Magic Candle II: The Four and Forty can be played for free in the browser at the Internet Archive