Elven Legacy

Ou See, This is why we love PC gaming. Elven Legacy contains within itself all the problems that consistently bug us as PC gaming enthusiasts, yet it also has this substantial depth and "one more go" factor that makes us come back for more. It is also, at times, hilariously badly made, but is charming because of this, rather than simply annoying.

The intro sequence, talking about some elves and things that have happened to them, is atrocious. The graphics are on a par with World of Warcraft (which is curious, as the in-game visuals are sometimes pretty) and the narrator's voice gets cut off at the end of certain sentences. Not good.

Then the tutorial has a very silly voiceover that is trying to be dramatic, but fails because all he's really talking about is clicking mouse buttons. There's also the fact that part of the tutorial is voiced in Russian for no reason. OK, it's a Russian game, but the rest of it has been dubbed in English, so why was part of the tutorial just ignored?

The game itself is old-school turn-based hexagonal strategy. These were all the rage way back in the days before Command & Conquer, but are lepers in today's gaming culture. One thing they always are is in-depth and challenging, and Elven Legacy is no different. Each unit can move and attack once per turn (with some exceptions). Behind this are numerous strategic decisions - covering fire, terrain issues etc - and enough scope, especially with the multiplayer, for some great tactical battles.

That Elven Legacy is so badly presented is a shame, as there's a surprisingly good strategy game hidden underneath the amateurish exterior. Polish that up and you might be onto a winner, Ino-Co.