The first few hours into the game are a big letdown. It starts with the nearly useless manual, which omits more than just a few skills or a walkthrough for the beginnings. It leaves you alone when it comes to generating a good party (nowhere it is mentioned that you should not start without the bow skill - this will make the beginnings extremely hard). And then there is the intro - ugly at best, with drawings a child could do better.

After you have built your party of four, you are thrown into a museum that seems to be there to showcase the new graphics of the game and nothing else, really. My first thought was: "and THIS should be LiTech?" Don't expect graphical greatness, expect sub-par graphics instead. The resolution is fixed to 800x600 - which looks pretty bad on a modern computer with a capable graphics card and a large monitor. Remember Wizardry 8? While it hadn't the best graphics of all, you could at least choose a higher resolution which made the game more pretty.

If you think you have seen the worst yet, you are in for a treat. After leaving the starter town, you are transported to an island. It is there where you will notice that a bow will come in handy, and if you haven't chosen that skill, better restart and do so. This island is outrght ugly. The landscape, the colors, everything. Ugly, ugly, ugly. You talk to the first characters there, get your first quest, meet the first NPC - this will take you about an hour and you will be happy when it is over.

Talking about NPC's that join your party: It's really stupid that you have no idea what their stats are. You can't give weapons, armor or potions to them, they are just fighting with you.

By now, you must think that i am going to bash Might & Magic 9 like crazy. To further add to this impression, let me tell you that a lot of things from former installments of the series have been omitted. No more alchemy. No more Arcomage. No more shrines or obelisks (at least until where I am now in the game). The promotion and spell system has changed a lot (in the beginning, it is hard to find usable spells), no more difference between leather, plate and chain mail - and a tuned down inventory (one item, one slot). All in all, you get the impression that this is a simplified version of Might & Magic, a light version.

I haven't found a kind word for the game yet, right? Right. You think that this is an awful game, not worth investing your money, right? Wrong. Dead wrong. There is magic in Might & Magic. The magic is: after a couple of hours into the game, you will most certainly feel that your attitude towards the game changes. Once you visit your first "real" town, you don't think the graphics are that ugly anymore. Once you descend into your first dungeon (Beet Hoven), this special Might & Magic feeling creeps up again. Once you have found the first useful items, you rightfully suspect that there is more to the game than you thought. Once you have trained some levels and your characters get stronger, you feel more and more addicted. With each hour that passes thereafter, you realize that Might & Magic 9 is something that sucks you in and won't let you go easily.

What is it that has changed my mind (and I think that will change yours, too)? If I had to rationalize, I'd say it is the fact that the game is perfectly balanced so far, and that something new lurks behind every corner. It may be the fact that dungeons do look nice, really (on the island of Ashes, save and step into the keep to get a feeling for what awaits you). But I really can't tell. All I can say is that when you get past the initial frustrating hours of the game, you will see it with other eyes.

Now, technically speaking, Might & Magic pales against other RPGs out there. But that's not all an RPG is about, is it? It's about how well it sparks your imagination. How involved you are with the character(s) you play. From that standpoint, Might & Magic 9 is a good game - for me, at least. With all shortcomings (and there are many), it keeps me coming back. And in the end: isn't that what counts?

I won't give any rating. I will leave this up to Garrett, who does a full review of the game (and who might well come to a different conclusion). These are my first impressions only, worth about 15-20 hours spent with the game. My affair with Might & Magic 9 had a terrible start, but now - while it isn't love - it has turned to a sincere friendship.