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A continuation of the story line of DarkSpyre, the game interface of The Summoning should be very familiar to those who have played Veil of Darkness or Dusk of the Gods. The game starts with choosing or creating your character, the distant descendant of the Champion of DarkSpyre - the hero who fought and stopped the god of magic, the god of war, and the god of intellect from conquering the world of men. You are summoned through a magical ritual by the Council, the last bastion of hope against the hordes of the Shadow Weaver, to their hidden fortress. After a too short training session the Council's keep is attacked, and you barely escape by being transported into the depths of the Shadow Weaver's island maze.
It is here the hybrid action-adventure puzzle RPG begins. The Summoning is presented in 3D isometric view with a very unique gesture based magic system. To cast spells you have to combine learned gestures to prepare magic then release it when you need it. Also interesting is the ability to liquify gems to make different potions. Combat is mainly hacking and slashing your way through hordes of monsters, some of them which can only be damaged by certain weapons or spells. Puzzles use different keys, teleporters, and pressure plates and are relatively easy to figure out in most cases.
There are many sub-quests and NPCs to meet during your quest to stop the Shadow Weaver that both advance the plot and provide you with information to advance through the maze. There is even a few alternate routes you can take to make your way through the different areas to your ultimate goal.
The game itself is long and can be frustrating at times, though the interesting story that develops and pacing will carry you through to the end. I bought the Summoning when it originally came out in 1992 and still remember the long hours sitting in front of my computer printing out NPC conversations and taking notes in my manual on different spells. I give the game a happy 4 out of 5.
Just a note, make sure to grab the maps as the teleporter maze near the end of the game is almost impossible without them.
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