You play as Arran, a young wizard whose job it is to bring light to a dark world. You accomplish this by casting lots and lots of spells from four schools of magic: light, dark, water, and fire. These aren't just normal spells we're talking about either. They are 3D pieces of art. You have Light Glyphs which toast enemies with a blast of light within the radius of the spell. Then, you have Fire Lava, which splits the ground and erupts upon encountering an enemy. You have a winter storm which rains down ice at a frantic pace, freezing everyone within its reaches. And these are just a few. They honestly look like Hollywood effects and you'll have endless fun casting the 16 different spells, each with 3 different levels of power.

So how do you control all of these spells? Well, thanks to the right analog stick, you have the ability to separate your spell casting Orb from your staff and control it independently of yourself. This allows you to retreat and cast spells behind you at the same time as well as acting as a way to aim your powers. It's a remarkable way to play a game and you'll become very adept at controlling your movements and the orb separately. In addition to the two analog sticks, you primarily use the L and R triggers. "L" cycles through the four spells which you currently have equipped. "R" activates those spells. You'll also use the Black button to center the camera, and the "B" button is used to activate Runes. "Runes?" you say. "You haven't mentioned any Runes." Well, no, we haven't. As you progress in the game, you'll acquire the treasured and very rare Runes. The Runes, like your spells, fall into the same four schools of magic. The Fire Rune acts like a shield when activated. The Light Rune allows you to heal yourself. The Water Rune makes you run fast and the Dark Rune gives you invisibility. Very fun, indeed.

The story is pretty simple. Arran is a young wizard at the beginning of the game. You work your way through various levels (the maps, by the way, are very well done and quite useful) collecting new spells and increasing your spell energy (Mana) all the while growing up and getting a deeper voice. You encounter all sorts of monsters which require you to think fast and blast them with magic. The enemies themselves fall into the same four schools of magic with the opposite school being the most effective in destroying them. Some spells work better than others, but that's very subjective, and you'll find your own combinations of favorite spells. There are some puzzles to solve but this is mainly a brute force type of game.

There's no doubt that if you like fantasy/wizard platform games you'll love this one. This is one of the first games for the Xbox that we're recommending that you buy. But look for it used first, we don't want you to break the bank.