INFO/INSTALL
{"Use as backup purpose only"}

Describing Avencast: Rise of the Mage is a bit tricky. This role-player relies on WASD controls, but it doesn't have the nonstop action of a typical action role-playing game. Quests feature standard go-fetch objectives, although they're often jazzed up with adventure game puzzles. And while the plot strays into world-saving Dungeons & Dragons clichés, it begins with a bored teen mage doing the Hogwarts thing. With so much cross-genre experimentation, it's difficult to figure out what the developer was trying to get at, although the one thing you can say is that this grab bag of RPG styles comes together remarkably well.

• Innovative blend of traditional and action-oriented RPG subgenres
• Arcade-tinged combat mechanics
• Lots of puzzles liven up the storyline.