If one half of game sequels innovate and improve upon their predecessors while the other half offer up still more of what the original had to offer, then Rage of Mages II falls squarely into the second category
It looks, sounds, and feels almost identical to the first game, which was a Warcraft II clone on the surface and a story-driven role-playing game beneath that guise. And although the original Rage of Mages didn't even look or sound that good to begin with, somehow the sequel also manages to scrape by, what with its similarly subtle and enjoyable combination of real-time strategy and story elements all within an accessible and responsive interface. It has an entertaining storybook plot and is fun to play, which will make you wish it had the poise and styling of the first-rate role-playing game it doesn't even aspire to be.

Rage of Mages II recycles many if not most of the original's visual and audio effects, and its new scenery, monsters, and items will easily blend with the old material to make the game seem just a little too familiar, at least on first impression. Your orange-cloaked heroes still look dull, although their paper doll-style portraits can be adorned with a seemingly limitless combination of fantastic weapons and armor, from your typical steel sword and tower shield on up to magical adamantine halberds and dragon-scale leather leggings. Otherwise, the game still looks like a slightly refined Warcraft II, with a top-down perspective and plain 2D creatures and settings.

Rage of Mages II: Necromancer Tech Info
Publisher: Monolith Productions
Developer: Nival Interactive
Genre: Role-Playing
ESRB: EVERYONE

Game Information
Number of Players: 1-16

Minimum System Requirements
System: Pentium-133 or equivalent
RAM: 32 MB
Video Memory: 2 MB
Hard Drive Space: 130 MB