Demon's Lair is a rare find of a game. It was developed by a small group of friends who clearly put their passion for gaming into its creation. As a play be e-mail gamer in the game, I feel that I've only scratched the surface of the rich tapestry of history, culture, and geography that form the matrix behind the adventure. But, it's been great fun both learning the game and becoming acquainted with this pre-existing framework of history, politics & religion (which mix here quite frequently, and often with fiery results!) And, of course, it is a very magical world, which I thoroughly enjoy because I play a young mageling in the current adventure! Many intriguing non-player characters populate this virtual world. One must quickly learn how to act, react, and behave in their presence for all actions have a consequence, both good and bad.

Spells are subdivided into many different books (e.g., Book of Enchantment) which must be individually found and mastered. Some books can only be used by clerical types, others only by magic users, and still others that can be used by both. The sheer variety of magic in the game both overwhelms and thrills!

The designers continue to expand upon their creation, bringing fresh ideas into the game on a regular basis. Their latest book, the Ancient Tomes, expands upon the magical spells possible in the game. The system of rules for the game seem well thought out, and there are enough character class options to please about anyone's taste. Characters in DL have more than just simple dice scores -- they have a history, a perspective, beliefs, and guiding principles. These aspects of each character are in many ways far more important than the specific scores.

I have found the PBEM (play-by-E-Mail) version of Demon's Lair to be very satisfying. I played RPG games all through college in the early 1980's, but it's only been recently that I could re-experience the fun of playing a game like this (especially with long-distance friends). By its nature the PBEM story unfolds like a novel, so it is a more calculating, a more thought-through version of what might happen were the same game to be played in person. Although I enjoy playing face to face games, I have equally enjoyed the PBEM version of DL. The characters seem more and more real to me as time goes on.

I've had the good fortune of playing the game with two of its designers. The excellent player/game master interaction philosophy put forth in the God Guide (a separate book written for DL) reveals the passion the designers have for fostering a truly fun gaming experience for everyone.

Style: 4 (Classy and well done)
Substance: 5 (Excellent!)