For those of a more adventurous ilk, an RPG-like adventure game is also included. Decks created in this way can be saved, and tested against the decks of the AI opponents. To aid the player in building a killer deck, a Deck Builder utility is also included with the product, enabling the player to add cards to or delete cards from his deck. Players can duel in single-match mode against one opponent, or in a ladder-style tournament against a collection of opponents. First, the player can simply play the card game against opponents sporting different decks. There are a couple of different varieties of gaming available in Magic: The Gathering, although they are all geared toward playing the card game itself. The player will also find twelve special cards created especially for this product, called the Astral Set, which do not appear in printed card format.

There are also colorless Artifact cards, which can be powered by any color combination of Mana. Each color has a specific type of land, called Mana, which must be used to supply power of the correct color to cast any spell. Cards are used to cast spells, and most spells are split by color: White magic enables healing and protection, Red magic is fueled by the power of fire and earth, Blue magic is drawn from the strength of air and water, Green magic is spawned from the force of nature, and Black magic is bred from the might of death and decay.

The guts of this title consist of the card game itself, populated with almost 400 actual Magic cards that can be used in play. The player must travel the land and fight random enemies to gain cards, and defeat five wizards representing the five colors. It is often referred to as Shandalar after the plane of Shandalar, where the game takes place. Published by MicroProse in 1997 and based on the collectible card game Magic: The Gathering. However, in the case of Magic: The Gathering for Windows, MicroProse has cast a successful spell.

Although it stands to reason that computer games based upon this property would probably be a success, an automatic assumption of accomplishment is not always warranted (see Magic: The Gathering - Battlemage). The phenomenal success of Wizards of the Coast's Magic collectible card game is unparalleled in card gaming history.

Magic the gathering shandalar mac