Runes of Avalon 2
Review
A different kind of Solitaire
by Marcus Mulkins
reviewed on PC
In case you have NOT been here before... (cont.)
The other possible task that you may be required to do before proceeding is a timed pattern-recognition sequence. You have four five-rune columns of parchments, two on each side of the screen. In the middle is something reminiscent of a crystal ball or magic mirror, surrounded by six marbles with symbols inscribed on them. Each marble represents a magical spell. As the timer is counting down, runes will appear in the crystal ball; click on the corresponding rune-parchment and another rune appears in the center. (I'm guessing that the runes spell out the name of a spell.) When the timer stops, you are rewarded with the magical spells that you managed to spell out correctly before time ran out. These you will have available to you as you travel through the next area. The upside of the spells is that they blast large numbers of rune tiles from the game board. The downside is that they cost some "mana" which is taken out of a given color reservoir - even if that marble had already been "locked". (You have to hope you gain more than you lose.)There is a running total score that is being kept, but if you fail to complete a task within the allotted time (which may be abruptly terminated if you get to the point where the current rune-clump cannot be placed on the board), the counter resets to zero. You have the option of skipping a puzzle if it just seems impossible for you to complete a task within the time limit. You will lose all your points, but it _will_ move you towards the end of the line. (You'll probably find yourself doing this quite a few times in order to complete the game.)
First cousin to pinball?
This is a fast-moving game. It starts out slow enough, but along about your eighth destination you'll find that you've become markedly twitchy. With each new rune-clump that appears, there IS an optimal placement - but you don't have the time to hunt that location down. You'll find yourself just randomly placing pieces on the board anywhere they fit. Then as the board is in danger of becoming so stuffed that the next piece can't be placed (thus ending the round with a YOU LOSE), you'll most likely use some spells to blow some board areas clear - and hope that the resulting explosion adds more to your reservoir marbles than what you spent on the spell. In this, I find a similarity to a pinball game where you really don't know what bumper combinations score what points; you just know that the longer you keep things going, you're "winning". (Until the ball drops out of play - which it inevitably will do.)
Runes of Avalon is probably more cerebral than pinball - after all, you do have to think about making tile-strings, and keep tabs of of how many open spaces remain. You may even be able to keep tabs of the Next-Piece-Coming window and actually plan one move ahead. But it's definitely more "twitchy" than games like Solitaire or Minesweeper. In other words, it will engage your adrenaline gland as well as your mind. Rounds go by quickly (provided you don't get stuck on just one location for too long), and you can easily stop a game and pick it up again later. This is to say that this is a not-bad solitaire diversion.
The verdict
If you're looking to kill some time and enjoy the flashing lights and tinkling sound effects, you'll probably enjoy this game. It will most certainly be more entertaining than the majority of Windows timewaster games. If, however, you're looking for something more substantial than a light-hearted romp, you'll have to keep looking. But then, I don't recall Anawiki ever claiming that the game should be taken all that seriously. It is what it is, and that's all it was ever meant to be: a flashier way to spend 10-20 minutes than Solitaire.
6.0
fun score
No Pros and Cons at this time
