Video game review by ERIK LEIJON

When a young soul is accepted into the ancient and mystical covenant of the nerd, they receive a gift pack in the mail. It contains the prerequisite 12-sided die, a lifetime subscription to Wired, and a complete back catalogue of Might and Magic games. Heroes of Might and Magic V (PC/Ubisoft, Nival) is the first one in the series published by Ubisoft and the first one not developed by New World Computing, yet it stays true to its predecessors. Nerds, you can relax.

Heroes of Might and Magic is a good, old-fashioned turn-based strategy game. The main purpose of the game is to build your armies, then vanquish your foes on what amounts to being a giant chess board. The archetypes of any good fantasy game are here: archers, goblins, knights, heroes and a plethora of other characters to mix and match in your army. The combat is deceptively simple: when your turn comes up, you can move your character and either attack, defend or use magic. What you soon realize is that every move you make requires your utmost attention and forgetting any minor detail could kill you pretty quickly. The AI can be unforgiving and downright nasty, but you rarely lose a fight thinking it was unfair.

The game has retained the classic turn-based system (which is unfortunately a dying breed), but Nival has completely overhauled the graphics engine. The overworlds in each level are lush with vibrant colours, detailed buildings and a near infinite variety of characters. The fight scenes are equally as exquisite, starting with the numerous spellcasting abilities. Nival’s makeover has finally made the Might and Magic series look as good as it plays. The cutscenes don’t live up to the rest of the game, but they are skippable, so seeing characters with horribly fake British accents talk without their lips moving is optional.

I didn’t expect to like Heroes of Might and Magic V because I have been bored to tears with fantasy games for years. I figured there were no more ways to successfully repackage wizards and elven archers, and I was especially unsure if the turn-based strategy game was still relevant. On paper, Heroes doesn’t seem like a winning combination, but like any good turn-based game (in this case I’m thinking chess and Risk), the pleasure is derived from the opportunity to win a battle of wits, whether it be against the AI or a human opponent.

There is also enough depth and play modes to keep fans occupied. The campaign mode is an excellent primer for novices, yet is difficult and diverse enough for experts to enjoy. The multiplayer mode is a completely different beast altogether, and every fight will have its own unique set of strategies to think about.

I know it’s hot outside, so take a cue from the nerds—stay inside and give Heroes a try. You’ll find yourself compelled to play just one more game and by the time you emerge from your den, summer will be over.

Within earshot

The Shure E2g earphones might be out of most people’s price range (the cheapest are over 110 bucks), but if you have serious concerns about hearing loss, you may want to give them a listen. If you play your portable on the bus or metro, you know it’s necessary to jack up the volume to full blast just to hear anything.

I’m no doctor, but that likely isn’t doing my eardrums any favours. The E2g earphones really blocked out the horrible sounds of the outside world, and I had the volume only slightly above zero. Save your ears at www.shure.com.