Reviews

While this is good, I've never quite thought it to be as good as it is made out to be. It's fun, but it's not actually that well designed: the spells are remarkably unbalanced and it's all just a little bit too random for my taste.

This excellent multi-player strategy game was written by Julian Gollop who would later go on to write the likes of Rebelstar, Laser Squad and UFO: Enemy Unknown. Allegedly, Chaos was released before it was completed and, not surprisingly, looks a bit rough around the edges in places. Still, that doesn't matter too much when you get into the game.

There are up to eight wizards in play, any of which can be computer controlled or given to a human player. Each wizard gets a random set of spells, some of which are more useful than others. However, the game balances itself somewhat in that the most powerful spells are relatively difficult to cast; a weak giant rat spell will always work, however the golden dragon might only have a 10% chance. To improve your chances you can try to wait until the cosmic balance shifts towards law or chaos; you can influence it a bit with your choices but might have to wait some time. Alternatively spells can be cast as illusions and will always work; however they can be instantly destroyed with the disbelieve spell, which you can expect computer opponents to use at the slightest provocation.

Aside from summoning creatures, spells can have a variety of effects such as building impregnable castles, magical attacks on other wizards. Of particularly devastating possibility are the gooey blob and magic fire, both of which can eventually swamp the entire map and swallow up opposing creatures and wizards into the process.

If this all sounds complicated, don't worry; it isn't. Unlike most strategy games, Chaos proceeds at a positively breakneck pace and you can get the basics of it within a few minutes.

On the downside, the game isn't totally fair; sometimes you might get taken out on the first turn by a magic bolt, or be given a particularly rotten set of spells. However, over a long session things tend to even out, and particularly successful players can expect to be ganged up against in true Machiavellian fashion by those less fortunate.

Where most computer games are relatively solitary affairs, or at best involve a couple of players, Chaos succeeds admirably as a social game that can be enjoyed by a big group of friends. It's practically unique in that respect amongst Spectrum games which is enough to make it a winner. It's perhaps less fun as a one player game, but those in search of a stern challenge can always try to take on seven high level computer wizards by themselves.

Chaos is a milestone in gaming. If you've ever enjoyed Jagged Alliance, X-Com, Terror From the Deep, Silent Storm, Laser Squad, Lords of Chaos, Commandos or pretty damn much any game with turn based tactical combat, this is where it all came from. The premise is a battle of wizards - you are cast (arf) into an empty arena with a bunch of other frothing reprobates, to do battle with conjured beasts and enchantments, various spells and delicious spices.

The game is divvied up into turns, so each player chooses a spell at the start of the turn, then each casts their spell and finally move their units.

The spells have casting difficulties and can only be used once, so deciding when to use them is key. Certain spells can boost your chances of casting, others can give you wings or enchanted armour. There is a huge range of spells - but the most fun one is the ability to create beasts and animals to wage your wars with. A typical game could begin with some bast casting a gooey blob (a perilous fast-spreading fungus that can quickly overrun the screen and spells doom if it surrounds your wizard), the second bast casting an illusory spectre (which can and will be dispelled by other players the next turn using the DISBELIEVE spell), the third player failing to cast a rare golden dragon because he's an utter twit and the fourth player casting a magic castle and attempting to hide in there for the rest of the game. You get the idea -because there's no set layout beyond the arena limits, players can face some interesting situations created by other players.

This becomes infinitely more fun with other people controlling wizards, the random destructive nature of raging pits of magic fire and copious quantities of beer. Is GaNDaLF's Wraith an illusion, or did he maybe hope to create a subterfuge of illusory low level animals and is saving his potency (ooer)? Will PiGSWiLL greedily quaff the potion that grants his wizard flight, or will he attempt to flee the magic fire you cast? Which way will the flames blow? Is that goblin looking at me? Is it my round again already? It's testament to how engaging the gameplay is that the primitive sprites and laughable animation is completely irrelevant. It perfectly conveys what you need to know, and that's all that matters.

Having Chaos on my netbook has given me the opportunity to play Chaos in some very strange places with some very strange people, and not one person I have started to play it against has been satisfied with the outcome of just one game. If it was transplanted to Facebook - even as is - I guarantee the world's GDP would drop to minus figures within hours. Perhaps that's a bit drastic, but there's certainly something charming about how stark and basic it looks and yet how deeply the claws hook you - and that applies from the university lecturer to the postman, from the white van man to the scary drug dealer, from the skeptical GP to the smelly pickle salesman from Bournemouth. I can't name another Speccy game that I'd rather play. It's ace.

Brilliant game that's fun to play as a single player, but really comes into its own as a multiplayer game with friends.

Other reviews have covered the details of the gameplay better than I ever could, so I won't repeat that here.

Suffice it to say though that you really do get better at the game over time as you eventually learn the best strategies in order to not die early on and then with some luck become dominant in the later stages.

I only don't give it a five because quite honestly, the Atari ST public domain re-implementation is something of an improvement, with excellent, quite hilarious sampled sound effects and extra spells, whilst losing absolutely nothing of the charm of the speccy original. So that's the version I play every time, rather than the speccy original. But of course, this is the version that made it all possible.

Chaos is a single screen strategy game for up to 8 players. Each player commands a wizard and take turns to cast spells. These range from summoning creatures to casting thunderbolts and other deadly attacks. Once everyone's cast their spell it's time for the movement phase where you get to move your wizard and creatures to attack the other players. The last wizard standing (or hiding if you've got any sense) is the winner. Simple, brilliant and very very addictive.

A battle of wizzards ... could there be something more espectacular ??

Chaos is like a chess contest without chess , and with spells to make the match even more interesting .

Fascinating to play and to watch !!

Ps - Especially indicated for role-game lovers ...

One of my favourite games from my collection. A superb game that is utterly addictive and chunks of fun. Absolute brilliance.

Couldn't agree more with other users.
A brilliantly addictive game, that even with simple looking graphics and a one screen display, turns almost every player into a fan.

4,5 points

Chaos is a game designed by the man behind X-Com (UFO:E.U.), Laser Squad and Rebel Star: Julian Gollop.

30 years later, the game is still holding up really great, and revamped mobile version is almost out (2014).

Simple but equally great game, a true zx spectrum classic.

A multi-player turn-based strategy game that is considered a classic on the Spectrum.
The game is a simple card and dice style game, as you might expect from Games Workshop, where wizards battle armed with randomly distributed spells. The action all takes place on one screen and the graphics are relatively primitive. It does have real Speccy style and charm though. The option of choosing many multiple players or computer opponents allows for interesting variations on the game.
It is a good game for what it is, and I can see why so many people really love it. Personally, I find it a bit too simple and random to be a 5/5 game.

I discover this game in the 21th century.

Simple game, simple graphics, almost a board game...

But I adore it, I wonder why there were not many clones...the game accepts very differenet clons with special maps or new versions of enemies.

In my top 100 for sure, and probably in my top 50

My all-time favourite Speccy game, and probably in my top 5 of all-time games on any format. Surprisingly, its release at the time completely passed me by, possibly because it was relegated to minimal column space and small B&W screen shots in the magazines. I eventually started playing it after discovering it in the late 80s.

Why do I rate it so highly? It's the only game that I've played for decades, and still play today. If you don't like elements of luck in your games you may not like it, but unlike a lot of strategy games of its time, the random selection of spells that your wizard gets makes every game unique and gives it chess-like levels of variation.

It takes a bit of time to become acquainted with what all the spells do (there are quite a lot), and the strengths and weaknesses of the monsters you can summon. As you further master the tactics of the game you get to learn movement limits and aiming methods. Everything you can learn helps to push that percent-of-success needle slightly higher.

Plan for a defensive war of attrition, and let the other wizards slug it out, or exhibit a display of power against your nearby rivals? Risk a mis-summon, or opt for an illusion? If you're getting overpowered, do you play for a draw or go for a risky wizard vs wizard attack?

Look past the basic graphics and try to master the spells and tactics, and you'll uncover a game with incredible depth.