I spent many happy hours at my Commodore 64, and many of those hours were spent playing games that involved strange creatures trying to do each other the most bodily harm possible in the least amount of time. There were many variations on this quite universal theme, but easily my favorite of them all was a spectacular game of strategy and might, Archon II: Adept.
Archon II is the sequel to the fighting "chess" game Archon, also for the Commodore - and it builds on many of the same concepts.
Turn-based strategy moves and spell choices comprise the first half of game-play, while real-time monster-on-monster combat action fills the gaps. But the sequel has some additions and twists that take it to a whole new level.
The biggest major change is in the game board, which eschews the traditional grid of squares for a set of concentric rings, each of a differing element. The monsters you can then summon to occupy your areas of the board have certain strengths within each element. This seemingly simple adjustment adds a huge number of additional strategies to the game, and makes the whole experience more playable.
The monsters you have (as in the first game) each have some unique style of battle. Some of my favorites are: the Juggernaut,
who uses itself as a missile to crush the enemy; the Wraith, who is invisible unless attacking; and the Gorgon, who incrementally slows the enemy until they stop moving.... forever. Pitting the strengths and weaknesses of each monster against those of your opponent further broadens the strategic spectrum available to you.
Adding one final layer of complexity to an already heady mix is the spell-sliming abilities of your magic user (sorcerer or sorceress, depending on whether you choose to be "light" or "dark"). With spells like Weaken, Imprison, Banish and Apocalypse, there is always one further option to consider when plotting against your enemy, be they human or computer.
The graphics were of their time, and not cutting edge about it either, but the game does not suffer in any respect because of it. The game-play is so rich, so diverse and engaging, and so fundamentally FUN, that the images fade into the background.
I would love to see an updated port of this game for modern PCs and consoles, with updated graphics and real-time internet player vs. player capabilities. But until then, the original game is just as playable today as it was all those years ago.
