Magic: The Gathering - Battlegrounds
Developer: Secret Level
Publisher: Atari MTG:BG also features a 'Vs. Duel', where two players can compete against each other using the same keyboard on the same screen. As with Arcade Duel, you simply pick from the unlocked duelists and wage battle. This is a nice feature if you only have one computer in your home, but if you have at least two computers and a LAN, you'll want to run a LAN game instead - two people pounding away on a single keyboard is simply too much to handle.Online play is included in MTG:BG, powered by GameSpy. During the course of the week, I went online several times, and never found more than 3 people in the main lobby, most times finding none at all, or the occasional passer-by. On the Xbox (which I also play tested), there were more players online and available for challenges, although it was low double-digits. The game booklet mentions that you can download exclusive spells and accessories, but at press time there were nothing there that I saw. In Online mode, you can play casual 1v1 matches (three skill levels are available to you), or play in online tournaments. You can also set up your own LAN game (but not your own internet game), as I mentioned earlier. Online play, both internet and LAN, is without technical flaw, on both the PC and Xbox Live!. There's no noticeable lag or latency, and it's easy enough - once someone shows up - to get a game going. One complaint - the online statistics in the PC version yield a 'page not found' error from the GameSpy site. The Xbox Live! stats work fine.One thing you will find online is that players are quickly learning to put together spellbooks that they've learned to use to be virtually indestructable. Not that this is an easy task, but when you come up against some opponents that have 'Wrath of God' (destroys all creatures on the playing field), along with some strong creatures, 'Giant Growth' and 'Overrun', you'll find them to be difficult to defeat, at best. Green magic opponents, in particular, are very difficult to beat, especially if they have some skills and decent spellbooks. My advice - be patient, learn from them, assemble your arsenal and practice, practice, practice!In the PC version, you also get the opportunity to download an online version of the actual card game. Be warned - this can be a very lengthy download! For those people who just can't get enough of the turn-based card game, though, the online version is a must-have, and comes with a free trial.