Wizard 101

Wizard 101 review:
Hide your kids! Or better yet join them in Wizard101. To the more experienced players this game may look too childish, but if you give it a try you will find out that the game has plenty to offer to you too.

Wizard101 is an MMORPG set in a visually unorthodox world full of wizards. Some will say that it looks cartoonish while others will enjoy the change from traditional MMORPG graphics. The game is free to play with a buyable content.

As the name suggests you play a wizard. You have 7 different types of schools for the wizard to choose from (i.e. fire, ice, etc.). The whole process of creating a character is based on a quiz at the start of the game making the process fun and easy (although this process can be skipped). Each wizard starts with a deck of cards that fits the chosen school. These cards are basically spells that you have at your disposal. At the start of the game you will have a tutorial that will teach you how to use them.

The battles are turn-based so at the start of each turn you can choose a card to play with (like in “Magic: the gathering” if some of you know). While you engaged in combat other players can join in and fight alongside you, the same is true for your enemies too, which makes things a little more interesting. As you can see it’s a tactical game and much thinking is involved.

The game has much other content to offer which include: mini games, pet mini games, crafting and PVP. The chat system of the game is made of pre-made questions so no open chat is available, something that many parents will consider as a good thing. The pet system has plenty to offer, starting with the vast array of pets (dragons, undead and many more) and through abilities and spells with which they assist the wizard.

The audio of the game is a blast. Many sound effects which enhance the playing experience although some of the NPCs talk a little too much for my sake (luckily you can speed it up).

You receive a house at the start of the game that you may enter at any time simply by pressing the ‘home’ button. You have many options to upgrade the house and that along is highly addictive.

Pros: A game for adults and kids alike. It’s a very friendly game. Spell animations are great.

Cons: Many areas require buying. Chat is limited.