Sorcery! 2 (iOS) Review

Very little has changed in the jump between Sorcery! and Sorcery! 2 - the engine, HUD, and style is exactly the same, and it's much better for it. The entire text-based adventure takes place on a tidy, inviting interface, that makes it easy for newcomers and veterans alike. Of course, those new to the series will want to start from the first game, since tutorials are few and far between, thanks in part to the ability to retrieve Sorcery! save data from the cloud, retaining the stats (be they good or bad) that one has finished with on the last installment.

However, one major differences is the scale of the game. Where Sorcery! took the player across a vast and varied landscape, its sequel takes place entirely in the city of Kharé. It's an opportunity for the writer to really focus on making the area detailed and interesting, but some may miss the epic atmosphere that was seen originally. That's not, of course, to say that Kharé is dull, and there's plenty to explore with a number of subplots to delve into.

There's also a new mini-game in the form of Swindlestones, introduced at an early point. It's a variation on the card game "Cheat:" two players roll a number of dice, and take turns betting on how many instances of a certain number there are on the table. If a player suspects that their opponent is wrong in their bet, they may reveal their dice and the person in the wrong loses a die. The first person to lose all of their dice is the loser. Though essentially a guessing game, it's surprisingly addictive and it's a shame that it only crops up on a handful of occasions throughout the adventure; the ability to play it separately would have been much appreciated, as would a multiplayer version.

As for the writing itself, it's just as wonderful as its predecessor (the odd typo here and there is to be expected in a title with such a massive amount of text), and the fantastic illustrations and ambient music really make this a much more complete experience than the original book. This is definitely a video game to be played with headphones on.