Karen Rhodes

I have to say that I am sorry I bought this game. The movement system is slow and clumsy. The graphics are crude (especially when compared to the beautiful graphics in Eastshade). The turn system is not exact. The game notifies you at the beginning that you may not complete the quest; in short, you'll die. A lot. And it is, from the beginning, at a level usually called hardcore -- that is to say, there's no reviving a wiped party. In all the other games I've seen, you are able to move through a variety of levels being revived if you die (see, for instance, Diablo III -- except at the very last character level: hardcore). This game kills you off from the very first level. I can't say I'm fond of that. No, I've wasted time and money on this one.

Pro: The graphics are lovely, the story is enchanting. Part of the fun of the game is just wandering through the beautiful scenery picking up objects that you need. The "peoples" (anthorpomorphized animals) are engaging. Movement is not difficult, which is a good thing for a 73-year-old player with arthritis in the hands. The story is also well done. The quests you can do are not all related to the main quest, and some that may not excite the player can be ignored. Those that are related to the main quest are intriguing to investigate. The developers have created a world that hangs together logically and is fun to explore. The player character is an artist who has come to Eastshade to paint the scenery at his mother's favorite spots from her visits there in earlier days. It is a fine anchor to the over all story. Finally, the music is wonderful. If there is not a CD of the music sound track, there should be! Cons: The "Save" function is irritating, because when you load the game next time, it opens up a few minutes EARLIER than where you saved it. You can lose progress, lose items, and lose paintings! You have to go back and re-do those steps, and sometimes you can't! This can also be true of the "continue" function. The game, unfortunately, has a tendency to hang. One reviewer found it to be at a certain location. I have found it to hang in different locations -- on the road near Nava, in the Blushwoods, near Lyndow, and other locations. There is no way to get out of it but to quit and re-enter, and again, you may lose quests you've already completed, paintings you've already done, and items you had already collected.. Another glitch is that non-player characters can sometimes go invisible. You see nothing but their speech balloons. This happens most often with Nessa, the air balloon pilot, and the bear who guards the bridge to Nava. What I wish for: Another game set on Eastshade, and even possibly involving the wider world. I wish that the story would be even tighter. What I mean by that: Near Ranya's house, there is a set of tubular bells that you play a tune on. This has absolutely no relation to the rest of the game! How much more interesting it would be if that were part of the story -- that you had to figure out something about them that would add to the story. Likewise, the old man who treads the road near Ranya's house, with his grandson following along, and babbles about Death really has no true relation to the story. It would be more intriguing if there were something you had to find out about this, if it really were a part of the game. The designers need to be reminded of the old theater adage: If there's a gun on the wall in the first act, it must be used in the second act. In other words, if you put something into the game, make it useful.