The Inside Scoop on Gaming

Of all the fantasy RPG:s I've ever played by e-mail, Demon's Lair is without a doubt the best! No question about it! This one rules! Ehrr... perhaps I should also mention that it is actually the only fantasy RPG I've ever played by e-mail? No matter, this is still a great game!

I stumbled upon the game by chance while playing the online fantasy strategy game of Utopia side by side with one of Lasalion's Overlords, the creators of the game. Since I happen to be geographically challenged (I live in Sweden), the play by e-mail option was the only way we could play the game. At first I was slightly sceptical to this format, but not anymore. Even though it can never beat the real thing, play by e-mail is a very good substitute when distance or other circumstances prevent regular gaming. Enough about PBEM, let's get on with the game review!

Every now and then you come across a reviewer asking whether we really need yet another fantasy RPG, saying it's time to come up with something new instead of all these tiresome Tolkien style games that pop up far too often. I most certainly don't agree. There's a reason why there are so many of these games on the market; we simply love to play them! Rather than criticizing game companies for not revolutionizing RPG:s and coming up with new concepts, we should judge them by how well they manage to refresh the existing genres.

When viewing Demon's Lair in this perspective I have to say that Lasalion Games has done a great job. The game is a classical fantasy RPG set in classical fantasy surroundings but with plenty of fresh ideas. A quick look at the versatility of the game's characters will give you some idea of what I'm talking about. First of all you have a full dozen races to choice from, all with their own individual qualities and characteristics. A few of these are traditional fantasy races like elves and dwarves but some others are Lasalion's own creations. Once you've picked a race you have to choose alignment, ethos, class and occupation for your character. Each of these choices will later on have an impact on your character and believe me, there are a lot of different alternatives to choose between. All these choices put together gives you a character with lots of character, if you know what I mean.

I've always believed that it is the little things that make the big difference and that goes for RPG:s as well. It's the little things that separate the great games from the good ones. In the case of Demon's Lair, you can find a lot of these little things that makes the game feel more complete. Among other things they have their own calendar with the various holidays and festivals ticked off. (The holidays have different significance depending on your character's ethos.) It's not a big thing but like I said, it's the little things that make the big difference.

So far this review makes Demon's Lair sound like God's gift to gamers, but that's not quite the case even if it is a very good game. My experience tells me that the more you play a game, the more you find - both good and bad. Since I haven't been playing for very long, I haven't found much to complain about. One of my first impressions of the game however was that as a new player, all the options in the character creation felt more than a little overwhelming. There was simply too much to choose from. Luckily I could create my first character in a two-hour ICQ chat with one of the creators of the game. Another thing is that the price is far too high. No, no, not for the game, but shipping it across the Atlantic costs a small fortune...

Style: 5 (Excellent!)
Substance: 4 (Meaty)

Demon's Lair
Author: Dan Hensel, Gino Holland, Dave Schmitz & Al Seeger Category: Game Company/Publisher: Lasalion Games Line: Demon's Lair Cost: $15.00 Page count: 190 Playtest Review by Thiefboy Larry on 02/26/00. Genre tags: Fantasy	Of all the fantasy RPG:s I've ever played by e-mail, Demon's Lair is without a doubt the best! No question about it! This one rules! Ehrr... perhaps I should also mention that it is actually the only fantasy RPG I've ever played by e-mail? No matter, this is still a great game! I stumbled upon the game by chance while playing the online fantasy strategy game of Utopia side by side with one of Lasalion's Overlords, the creators of the game. Since I happen to be geographically challenged (I live in Sweden), the play by e-mail option was the only way we could play the game. At first I was slightly sceptical to this format, but not anymore. Even though it can never beat the real thing, play by e-mail is a very good substitute when distance or other circumstances prevent regular gaming. Enough about PBEM, let's get on with the game review! Every now and then you come across a reviewer asking whether we really need yet another fantasy RPG, saying it's time to come up with something new instead of all these tiresome Tolkien style games that pop up far too often. I most certainly don't agree. There's a reason why there are so many of these games on the market; we simply love to play them! Rather than criticizing game companies for not revolutionizing RPG:s and coming up with new concepts, we should judge them by how well they manage to refresh the existing genres. When viewing Demon's Lair in this perspective I have to say that Lasalion Games has done a great job. The game is a classical fantasy RPG set in classical fantasy surroundings but with plenty of fresh ideas. A quick look at the versatility of the game's characters will give you some idea of what I'm talking about. First of all you have a full dozen races to choice from, all with their own individual qualities and characteristics. A few of these are traditional fantasy races like elves and dwarves but some others are Lasalion's own creations. Once you've picked a race you have to choose alignment, ethos, class and occupation for your character. Each of these choices will later on have an impact on your character and believe me, there are a lot of different alternatives to choose between. All these choices put together gives you a character with lots of character, if you know what I mean. I've always believed that it is the little things that make the big difference and that goes for RPG:s as well. It's the little things that separate the great games from the good ones. In the case of Demon's Lair, you can find a lot of these little things that makes the game feel more complete. Among other things they have their own calendar with the various holidays and festivals ticked off. (The holidays have different significance depending on your character's ethos.) It's not a big thing but like I said, it's the little things that make the big difference. So far this review makes Demon's Lair sound like God's gift to gamers, but that's not quite the case even if it is a very good game. My experience tells me that the more you play a game, the more you find - both good and bad. Since I haven't been playing for very long, I haven't found much to complain about. One of my first impressions of the game however was that as a new player, all the options in the character creation felt more than a little overwhelming. There was simply too much to choose from. Luckily I could create my first character in a two-hour ICQ chat with one of the creators of the game. Another thing is that the price is far too high. No, no, not for the game, but shipping it across the Atlantic costs a small fortune... Style: 5 (Excellent!) Substance: 4 (Meaty)