Wizardry: Bane of the Cosmic Forge

Wizardry: Bane of the Cosmic Forge, the sixth entry into the Wizardry series. It is a fantasy role-playing game developed and published by Sir-tech Software in 1990, originally for DOS. It's the only Wizardry game released also for Amiga. In the subsequent years, it was ported to other platforms, including Mac and SNES.

Cosmic Forge marks the change from 8-bit to 16-bit platforms; in fact, Wizardry V: Heart of the Maelstrom, released two years before, was published for Apple II, Commodore 64, and other 8-bit computers.

Though Cosmic Forge keeps the overall spirit of the Wizardry series, it has many new features of its own. Cosmic Forge was the first in the series to be done in full color. This is also the first of the series to use a point-and-click interface. Combat has also been enhanced by adding different attack options depending on the weapon. Magic has been split up into 6 different schools, as well as the addition of class-oriented skills and using a mini-game to do things like disarming a trap.

The Cosmic Forge, oddly enough, is a magical writing utensil that can make the author’s writing real. Hidden away in a haunted castle, you and your party attempt to retrieve it. Just like in the previous installments, you begin by creating a party of up to 6 characters. You have a multitude of choices for race, profession, and skills to pick from during this process. Playing from a first-person perspective, you and your party venture into the unknown to explore what awaits you inside the castle. To reach your goal, you must solve puzzles and fight enemies in turn-based combat.

Cosmic Forge was released to pretty decent reviews and even took home Best RPG in 1991. Fans of Wizardry or seasoned RPG veterans will know their way around this title. Newbies may not want to start here.