Set in the Might and Magic universe, gamers must be prepared for ferocious combat within a dark and expansive fantasy environment. In Dark Messiah of Might and Magic, players will be introduced to the world of Ashan, the new setting for all future Might and Magic games. The world of Ashan is a dangerous place, with a bloodfilled history, and to make matters worse, its now threatened by an apocalyptic prophecy, known as the Dark Messiah. Ashan is full of savage goblins, orcs, zombies, elusive trolls, massive dragons and many other strange creatures. Gamers assume the role of Sareth, a young hero who has been trained in the arts of magic and war, so he will be ready to do battle with the Dark Messiah. Players are faced with the decision of becoming assassins, expert warriors or mages. Each of these are equipped with their own cache of powerful weaponry and spells that will be used to battle huge monsters. Gamers are able to unlock various new skills and equipment through combat. This will advance Sareths experience and improve his battle combos, hits, spells, techniques, performance, and ultimately his destiny. The game uses cutting edge technology, using an enhanced version of the powerful Source Engine from Valve, which includes lovinglyrendered environments and amazing special effects. The game has a firstperson perspective with realistic movements, body awareness and physics rendering. This makes it the first fantasy action game that features a complete firstperson combat system. There are 12 levels for gamers to get their teeth into, and over 40 weapons and dozens of devastating spells to master. You must engage the enemy in intense melee combat with staffs, swords, bows and daggers. The game is actionpacked and should keep even the most jaded gamer amused. There is also a revolutionary multiplayer mode, where players must decide to side with humans or the undead, and choose from four different character classes. Up to 32 players can battle in several online modes that range from a simple deathmatch to what the publishers claim is the revolutionary Evolution Mode, which allows gamers to gain experience and new equipment across numerous dynamic online campaigns.