Shannara (PC Games, 1995)

When Shannara for the PC was released in 1995, I was reading all the Terry Brooks novels that I could find. I loved his simple style and the stories, even though I had started the Shannara series out of order. I would have loved to have played the game immediately, but the $50 price tag was out of my reach at the time. The game quickly disappeared from the stores because of poor reviews, and I was unable to find it later, until I got into ebay in college.

I was able to get it used for $20 in 2001, and really didn't think it was worth even that - and I consider myself to be a true Terry Brooks fan (I've read all of his books, including the novelizations of Hook and Episode One).

The game focuses on puzzle and problem solving much more than fighting. What this means, is that you hunt around for some items on a screen, click on them with your mouse pointer, and then figure out how to use them together or who you can give them to, etc. The graphics may have been pretty good for 1995, but you won't be impressed anymore. Don't expect to see any of your Shannara heroes (except for Allanon) because the game does not tie into ANY of the novels in any way. It is a completely stand-alone project, so that was also kind of a let-down.

The fighting system is pretty atrocious because you are meant to avoid fighting whenever possible. You are supposed to run from monsters when you see them on the map, since you are not warriors in this game. When you are forced to fight, you will have use of the magic elfstones only once in each day. THERE ARE NO REWARDS FOR WINNING A BATTLE - no treasure, no experience, nothing except getting to live another day to try to run from more monsters.

Most of Terry Brooks' main characters are not fighters or druids in his stories; they are common people that are given almost impossible tasks to complete. However, I think the PC game would have been MUCH more fun if the player was allowed to be Allanon and use some magic, or a fighter and actually look forward to some battles. Who wouldn't want to play as someone like the Weapons Master and really kick some butt? Unfortunately, this was not the case, and the game often seems to drag along, even though it was actually quite short. I also thought that if the game had been tied into the books better, it would have done well.

My review score of Average was mainly based on my love of the Shannara series of novels and getting to experience new characters that aren't in any of the books. If I were to have played this game without any prior knowledge of Shannara, I probably would have given it a Poor or at least Below Average.

Should you buy it? Well, if you are a die-hard fan, and can find it for very cheap, then go for it. All I've seen recently is sellers wanting $50 or more for it on ebay. Remember, only die-hard fans would even be interested in collecting this, so if you are thinking of it as an investment, it probably won't be that profitable, especially if you open it to play it. My suggestion is to go and buy several of Terry Brooks' books and you'll find much more satisfaction and overall value.

Very Good game ,Super-book, i love them!!it is difficult for it to work with a modern pc ,the sound is void but it's a good rpg.