For all you Magic the Gathering fanatics out there, and even for those who aren't, a new game based on the popular series is coming out for PC on November 18th, 2003. Magic: the Gathering - Battlegrounds is a real time strategy game and an adventure game all in one, and adds quite an interesting twist on the card game. You'll be traveling around as a wizard, dueling other wizards, and casting spells and creatures to aid you. Unlike previous attempts to make a Magic the Gathering game for PC such as "Duels of the Planeswalker" Battle Grounds will offer a more interactive twist on the popular card game. You'll actually be able to summon lively creatures and conjure spells instead of using cards to represent what you are casting. This could either be the game all Magic fans have been waiting for, or another disappointment. But for now, we can only hope for good things, right?

Not much information has been released about Magic: The Gathering - Battle Grounds. If you go to the official Atari website, www.atari.com, you won't find much of an overview. But as it stands, Battle Grounds looks like it could be a great game. You have a choice of being a generic male or female wizard, and you journey through the Magic the Gathering universe facing fierce battles and gaining experience.

One of the most attractive features of the game is that many aspects from the collector's card game are found in the PC version. It will also feature seven other wizards that were characters from the Legends expansion set, which was released years before the original game. Also, you will have access to over 70 usable spells, half of which are creature spells and the rest either sorcery or enchantments.

Since all the battle is done in real time, it's easy to be skeptical of whether the game can work fluidly or not. Multi-tasking so many things at once can be quite difficult, and there isn't much information on the engine or actual game play. You'll be summoning creatures, as will your opponent, but you'll also have to be summoning sorcery spells along with enchantments while the battle rages. Sorcery spells are quick-cast spells but aren't permanent. They could either temporarily beef up one of your creatures or effect to the opponent or his/her creatures. Enchantments are permanent spells, unless disenchanted, and stay throughout the course of the battle effecting either creatures, players, or both.

All creatures, their attributes, and spells will basically be straight from the card game. Unlike the card game, however, the positioning of your creatures and where you summon them does make a difference. Hence the name Battle Grounds, because there are actually rules to the arena. If you cast a creature closer to the enemy, it has a better chance of damaging the opposing wizard, but it also leaves you wide open and undefended, and the other wizard's creatures can hurt you more easily. If you cast a creature close to yourself, there is a better chance of that creature blocking for you, but has a lower chance of hitting the enemy. So a lot of strategy is involved, from how fast your creatures are to what their weaknesses are. There will be several play modes other than single player. An arcade mode, which is just a quick duel to get some aggression out will be available, and online play with full ladder matches and online ranking is incorporated too. New content and materials will be released soon as the release date draws closer. The game looks like it could be really good, and it has a lot of features that really let you dive into the Magic the Gathering world. Time will only tell if this game can fulfill all expectations, and until then, we'll just have to wait.