Heroes of Might and Magic

Heroes of Might and Magic is a series of turn-based video games by New World Computing, a division of 3DO. The games are fantasy-themed strategy conflicts that have characters called heroes in pivotal roles, as leaders of armies of mythical creatures. There are four versions of the game, all for the PC and some for other platforms.

King's Bounty was the first of this type. And after it's success the Heroes series was formed. The story of each installment in the series is different and they take place one after another chronologically.

Only heroes can cast spells and gather armies. Through conquest, visitation to special areas or gathering magicalal artifacts, heroes gain experience and, in turn, become more powerful and useful to the controlling player.

Fans of the series cite the games as some of the finest strategy games ever developed. They note the game's carefully balanced units and combat system as some of the game's strongest points. Additionally, fans specify the game's spell system as one of the strongest of any fantasy genre game.

Each version featured improved graphics in higher resolutions than the previous version. The series seemed to lose focus after the Heroes of Might and Magic III, however, and the fourth installment in the series showed a lack of coherency and garnered poor reviews and weak sales.

In August of 2003, Ubisoft acquired the rights to the Might and Magic franchise for $1.3 million after 3DO filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy.

External Links

• 3DO's official Heroes of Might and Magic III web site: http://www.3do.com/products/pc/heroes3/
• 3DO's official Heroes of Might and Magic IV web site: http://www.3do.com/mightandmagic/heroes4/