GOG had all three titles for $12.95. Is this worth picking up?
I would go with the last one (Shadow Magic) but others may have a different opinion. Apparently there is a really good Lord of the Rings mod available.
http://aow2.heavengames.com/downloads/showfile.php?fileid=386 (http://aow2.heavengames.com/downloads/showfile.php?fileid=386)
I played the first one on a friend's computer while we were sharing an apartment. I recall enjoying it at least mildly, and it did have a certain charm.
All three are worth your time. The third (Shadow Magic) is the most popular due to its modability but the first two have the better campaigns, in my opinion.
Shadow Magic also made it possible for the player to found new cities.
Quote from: Bismarck on February 17, 2012, 01:49:09 PM
GOG had all three titles for $12.95. Is this worth picking up?
AoW:SM is practically the closest game currently available to Master of Magic, and with Dom3 is still my vote for best turn-based fantasy strategy game available. It does almost everything MoM used to do, plus a number of things it never could do (like multi-player), and almost everything it does "the same" it does "better".
Aside from a couple of races missing from MoM (but replaced with quite nice factions), the Spell of Mastery (which I do miss for endgame purposes), and multiple troops in the squads (all AoW:SM squads are exactly one troop), everything else is as good as MoM or better. Better graphics, more mapping details, better music (and the ability to use your own mp3 list if you want), better and more pre-created wizards, better random generation options, vastly much better tactical battles, infinitely better modding: the list goes on and on.
(As noted, the first two games--and SM is really AoW2.5--have better campaigns than SM. But there is almost no reason, except for a few faction differences, to ever play them on skirmish maps. SM is by far the way to go.)
In conclusion: if you love MoM and ever wanted a polished basically bug-free update, Age of Wonders: Shadow Magic is currently the best available. It would still be worth buying at its original retail price. (But make sure it's patched up to the full technically unofficial limit.)