Enjoyable dungeon crawler
A little-known fantasy RPG, Trial by Magic offers little of the story development or character interaction that such games are typically known for, but remains a challenging romp for those who prefer combat over plot. The game takes a third-person perspective and requires players to simply explore a vast dungeon with the ultimate aim of destroying the Trialmaster who lurks at its heart. Of course, there are plenty of vicious monsters, treasure and secrets to defeat or discover and once you throw in spells and traps, you have the makings of a pretty decent hack and slash adventure. Trial by Magic's spell casting system is effective but slightly less than intuitive, while combat is straightforward and fairly satisfying. A bit of lateral thinking does come in handy every now and then too, with enemies that can be tricked into traps but which remain tough to beat. Graphically, the game is quite samey, with dungeons that tend to look alike but which are atmospheric enough, while the Trialmaster himself is intense and suitably menacing. The action level is certainly cranked up high with this one, so if you can ignore the lack of plot then this is an enjoyable enough adventure, but which doesn't quite reach the level of The Summoning, Dungeon Master or Eye of the Beholder.
