''Shadow Sorcerer'' is a

role-playing video game A role-playing video game (commonly referred to as simply a role-playing game or RPG, as well as a computer role-playing game or CRPG) is a video game genre where the player controls the actions of a character (or several party members) immers ...

published in 1991 by

Strategic Simulations Strategic Simulations, Inc. (SSI) was a video game developer and publisher with over 100 titles to its credit from its founding in 1979 to its dissolution in 1994. The company was especially noted for its numerous wargames, its official compute ...

. The game is the sequel to ''

Heroes of the Lance ''Advanced Dungeons & Dragons: Heroes of the Lance'' is a video game released in January 1988 for various home computer systems and consoles. The game is based on the first ''Dragonlance'' campaign module for the ''Dungeons & Dragons'' fantasy ro ...

'' and '' Dragons of Flame''. It is based on the third and fourth

Dragonlance ''Dragonlance'' is a shared universe created by Laura and Tracy Hickman, and expanded by Tracy Hickman and Margaret Weis under the direction of TSR, Inc. into a series of fantasy novels. The Hickmans conceived ''Dragonlance'' while driving i ...

campaign modules, '' Dragons of Hope'' and ''

Dragons of Desolation ''Dragons of Desolation'' is the fourth and final module in the first major story arc in the '' Dungeons & Dragons'' ''Dragonlance'' series of game modules. It is one of the fourteen ''Dragonlance'' adventures published by TSR between 1984 and ...

''.

Plot

The plot is a faithful representation of the third and fourth module of

, '' Dragons of Hope'' and ''

''. The same two modules were also adapted into a novel, ''

Dragons of the Dwarven Depths ''Dragons of the Dwarven Depths'' is a fantasy novel by Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman, set in the ''Dragonlance'' fictional campaign setting. It is the beginning of the Lost Chronicles trilogy, designed to fill in the gaps in the storyline be ...

''.

Gameplay

Reception

Matt Regan of ''

CU Amiga ''Commodore User'', known to the readers as the abbreviated ''CU'', was one of the oldest British Commodore magazines. With a publishing history spanning over 15 years, it mixed content with technical and video game features. Incorporating ''V ...

'' noted that ''Shadow Sorcerer'' largely lacked role-playing elements, but summarized that "for ''AD&D'' junkies this is an amusing diversion with a novel outlook for the genre." In ''

Zero 0 (zero) is a number representing an empty quantity. In place-value notation such as the Hindu–Arabic numeral system, 0 also serves as a placeholder numerical digit, which works by multiplying digits to the left of 0 by the radix, usu ...

'', David Wilson called the game "a marked improvement in ''AD&D'' computer gaming" compared to

' other output, aside from '' Eye of the Beholder''. He concluded, "''Shadow Sorceror'' is for me another sign that SSI is finally getting its act together to produce games that justify the mighty ''AD&D'' licence." '' The One'' gave the Amiga version of ''Shadow Sorcerer'' an overall score of 77%, beginning their review by stating that 'it's a pity' that ''Shadow Sorcerer'' "doesn't offer as much" as '' Eye of the Beholder'', furthermore stating that "''Shadow Sorcerer'' fails in that there is either too much or too little going on at one time." ''The One'' expresses that the

refugees A refugee, conventionally speaking, is a displaced person who has crossed national borders and who cannot or is unwilling to return home due to well-founded fear of persecution.

the player must protect "move at such a slow pace that you can't help getting bored waiting for them" and if the player leaves them to explore, the player is punished in that the refugees are open to attack, and isn't able to get back to them in time. ''The One'' criticises ''Shadow Sorcerer's'' combat, stating that "the computer has no sense of simple strategy. You will often get into combat and prepare your wizard to cast a fireball spell, only to find that the rest of the characters have run into the fight and got in the way, completely wasting it." ''The One'' calls ''Shadow Sorcerer'' good "to a certain extent", and expresses that it "never quite reaches

hat A hat is a head covering which is worn for various reasons, including protection against weather conditions, ceremonial reasons such as university graduation, religious reasons, safety, or as a fashion accessory. Hats which incorporate mech ...

other RPGs have managed to". The game is generally regarded as much superior to any early D&D action games, and is considered a big step forward in playability for AD&D action games.

References

External links

''Shadow Sorcerer''
at Amiga Hall of Light

at Atari Mania {{Authority control 1991 video games Amiga games Atari ST games DOS games Dragonlance video games Real-time strategy video games Role-playing video games Strategic Simulations games U.S. Gold games Video games developed in the United Kingdom Video games scored by George Sanger