Age of Wonders II: The Wizard's Throne
Age of Wonders II: The Wizard's Throne
Game
Game2010
Age of Wonders Shadow Magic
Developer Triumph Studios
Age of Wonders: Shadow Magic is a turn-based strategy video game in a fantasy setting. Shadow Magic is the third incarnation of the Age of Wonders series, and is a stand-alone expansion to Age of Wonders II: The Wizard's Throne. All three games were developed by Triumph Studios. The series is a spiritual successor to Master of Magic, featuring strategic overworld and tactical combat layers. From Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0)
177 reactions from 2 sources (Steam reviews, Bluesky) · newest Oct 31, 2026 · last updated Nov 4, 2026 · How this works
Audience score
89
LovedLoved
149 positive · 18 negative
95% range 84–93%
| Source | + | − | = |
|---|---|---|---|
| Steam reviews | 149 | 18 | 0 |
| Bluesky * | 1 | 0 | 9 |
* shown, not counted in the score (label accuracy below our 85% bar or not yet audited).
Steam's own rating
Very Positive
381 of 429 reviews positive (all languages, per Valve)
What players are saying
89% recommend · 150 yes, 18 no
Counted from the reviewers’ own thumbs up/down on the 168 English Steam reviews we collected, not by the AI. Valve’s all-language rating: Very Positive (587 of 655 positive).
Players praise Shadow Magic as the best in the series, with deep strategy and charm. [1][2][3] Many note the game's beautiful 2D art and music, calling it timeless. [4][5][6] Some report technical issues running it on modern systems, requiring patches. [7][8][9]
Liked
Representative posts
- [7]
Fails to launch (black screen, a moment of sound). It was probably a great game once, but now it's just fiddling with settings, compatibility modes, unofficial patches, etc until you give up.
- [1]
The third in the series and the best of all three classical Age of Wonders games. It will hook you up all night with you saying: "just one more turn, then ill go to sleep". A must play for all HoMM fans. ⭐️UNOFFICIAL PATCH The game is still updated from the community with unofficial patch. Latest one is [url=http://aow.heavengames.com/cgi-bin/forums/display.cgi?action=ct&f=29,5651,,60] 1.5 version . First you need …
- [5]
I have thousands of hours on this game in other versions including the original CD back in the day. I vastly prefer AoW 2 & Shadow Magic to the new ones in the series. This game is so beautiful. The artwork, portraits, models, terrain and all of the maps are gorgeous and straight out of a classic fantasy novel cover. The music is perfect. I often listen to this game's soundtrack as background music. It is clearly …
- [3]
This is my favorite Age of Wonders game--I think it's the strongest in the series. Going from this to AoW3 for the first time felt like a downgrade. The combat in 3 is different enough to be noticeable, and not in a good way. Shadow Magic has a great range of races and units. The environmental design is wonderful, as is the sound design. The campaign provides a doable challenge. There are a ton of maps and one-off …
- [2]
Better and more inspired than the modern versions. This game has a lot of charm for sure, not only due to its wonderful art style but also for being extremely unforgiving, stats for both enemies and your units are hard-coded and the abstract rule is basically that if the combined total of your stats and skills is less than that of your opponent, you lose. There is no sugar-coated way to escape this outcome, no …
Summarised from 34 of the 181 public posts collected about this game; every point cites the posts behind it ([n] opens the post) and the split is counted from the posts’ own ratings. Updated Oct 10, 2026. How summaries are made
RottenBot@rottenbot · automated account
89% of the 168 Steam reviewers we collected recommend Age of Wonders Shadow Magic. The complaint that keeps coming up: technical issues on modern PCs. Deal-breaker or nitpick?
Critics, per Wikipedia
The editors of Computer Gaming World presented Shadow Magic with their 2003 "Strategy Game of the Year" award. They wrote: "Of all the strategy games we played this year, Age of Wonders: Shadow Magic is the only one with the 'just one more turn' addictiveness that distinguishes the best of the best". It was a nominee for PC Gamer US's 2003 "Best Turn-Based Strategy Game" award, although it lost to Combat Mission: Afrika Korps.
From the “Reception” section of Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0. Critic context only — not part of the audience score.
Reactions
60 of 177 · most liked firstThe third in the series and the best of all three classical Age of Wonders games. It will hook you up all night with you saying: "just one more turn, then ill go to sleep". A must play for all HoMM fans. ⭐️UNOFFICIAL PATCH The game is still updated from the community with unofficial patch. Latest one is [url=http://aow.heavengames.com/cgi-bin/forums/display.cgi?action=ct&f=29,5651,,60] 1.5 version . First you need to first install…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →An old-world gem that still casts a powerful spell There’s something almost mythic about Age of Wonders: Shadow Magic. Booting it up feels like unearthing a lost tome of arcane knowledge—a game that doesn’t just tell stories of magic and conquest, but feels like it was carved from the same stone as the legends it tries to conjure. At its core, Shadow Magic is a turn-based strategy and empire-building hybrid that excels in delivering the fantasy dream. Three sprawling spheres—Life, Death, and…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I was surfing Limewire many years ago searching for hentai (yup, teenage hormones) and somehow this game came up. I had no idea what kinda hentai an "Age of Wonders" was, but I considered myself an open-minded individual so I installed. That was how I got tricked into my first 4X Turn Based Strategy game. It’s been many years, and many 4x games, but this remains one of my darling favourites. The graphics are very pleasing. The late 90’s / early 2000’s saw the culmination of decades of 2D…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →For anyone having general issues getting the game to run or looking to play with unofficial patches, try out the following (skip to step 4 if installing for first time): 1. Run the uninstall.exe for patches 1.5 and 1.4 to clear them out if installed. 2. Uninstall the main game. 3. Delete all remaining installed files in the game directory. 4. Install shadow magic. 5. Set compatibility for exe and setup files for windows xp service pack 3 6. Go into config and set your resolution, check direct…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Better and more inspired than the modern versions. This game has a lot of charm for sure, not only due to its wonderful art style but also for being extremely unforgiving, stats for both enemies and your units are hard-coded and the abstract rule is basically that if the combined total of your stats and skills is less than that of your opponent, you lose. There is no sugar-coated way to escape this outcome, no suggestions to be sure that every encounter is in your favor, no retries, no…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I'd say... Good. This is a Turn-Based strategy game with some light RPG elements. The Graphics are old but nice. The music is decent. The story is OK but not a big deal. No bugs or crashes. Overall, it's entertaining, though there are some considerations to keep in mind. This is a classic "one-more-turn" game—highly addictive. While it's a stand-alone title, it's essentially a continuation of AOW2, with only a few notable additions. The shadow realm and the shadow race are the primary new…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Graphics are clean, good looking and and it's easy to understand what i'm looking at. Better and cheaper than AOW 3 and 4
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Fails to launch (black screen, a moment of sound). It was probably a great game once, but now it's just fiddling with settings, compatibility modes, unofficial patches, etc until you give up.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →The last decent installment of Age of Wonders.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I have thousands of hours on this game in other versions including the original CD back in the day. I vastly prefer AoW 2 & Shadow Magic to the new ones in the series. This game is so beautiful. The artwork, portraits, models, terrain and all of the maps are gorgeous and straight out of a classic fantasy novel cover. The music is perfect. I often listen to this game's soundtrack as background music. It is clearly crafted with love for fantasy genre itself and I still think in 2025 it is a…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I always return to this game when I need something calming like a bedtime story.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Age of Wonders: Shadow Magic is a stand-alone expansion to Age of Wonders II: The Wizard's Throne. I owned the box edition along with Age of Wonders and Age of Wonders II: The Wizard's Throne back in 2004, so it's somewhat of a nostalgic title for me. To get this to work on Window's 10, I had to set compatibility to XP Service Pack 3, Disable Full-screen optimisations and Run this program as an administrator. Also, for configuration i had to untick Allow Resolution Changes and Use Direct3D.…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I've been playing this since it released back in 2003. Still one of the best strategy games out there.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I remember playing Shadow magic for the first time back 2005 and it's even better then I remember. Sure, there are now AoW3 and AoW4 with better visuals, more units, more options and even faction creation, but I will always come back to AoW 1, AoW2 and Shadow magic. Why? Because those games do what sequels try to avoid. You can't customize your race, but each race plays very different from the other, you don't have countless spells, but all spells you do have are much more powerful and…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I think it's the best game of AOW series.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →This is my favorite Age of Wonders game--I think it's the strongest in the series. Going from this to AoW3 for the first time felt like a downgrade. The combat in 3 is different enough to be noticeable, and not in a good way. Shadow Magic has a great range of races and units. The environmental design is wonderful, as is the sound design. The campaign provides a doable challenge. There are a ton of maps and one-off scenarios, so your options aren't limited at all. With an additional…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Better than Age of Wonders 3. Almost impossible to get running on modern PC's reliably. Narzoul's DDraw Compat .dll was required for me to get it working. (Be warned a computer restart is REQUIRED for it to work. Not optional.) 1366x768 seems to be the max resolution this game will run at. Ctrl + R disables hardware rendering or testing. Soundtrack is a banger. Never played campaign, never will. Random Maps for life. Doesn't have Aow3's stupid class system. Choose your magic. Choose your race.…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Age of Wonders: Shadow Magic continues to delight fans of the series with its superb gameplay and exciting new additions. While the core game mechanics remain largely unchanged, two key innovations stand out: the introduction of three new playable races and the addition of a new map layer. The plot of the new campaign unfolds rapidly. The Battle for the Throne of Wisdom shook the foundations of the universe: space and time began to unravel, opening portals to the Void. The young wizard Merlin…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →A real old classic, despite the old graphics. The modern AoW's are great too, fantastic graphics which may become a bit confusing during manual battles. As an ancient Dungeons & Dragons pen, paper and dice Dungeon Master I love turn based fantasy strategy. If you got a computer lacking computing power and really wanna play these types of games I totally recommend this. If the graphics in this old game does not work you got compatibility mode which i recommend to always use. And random maps are…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →A beautiful and classic 4x. Some of the best unit diversity and music in any retro fantasy strategy game. Great customization and replayability. I personally prefer this title to AoW:3 or Planetfall in many ways. Lots of nostalgia. Reminds me a lot of Lords of Magic, which was my first 4x game outside of Civ back in the 1990's.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →It was my first game in the series. I wanted to get acquainted with Age of Wonders franchise and this part was recommended to me to start with. Well, it's not among my favorite turn-based strategies, that's for sure. Nonetheless, I don't regret the time I spent in the game, it was worth to try something new, despite the fact I probably won't be playing it again. If you want to try out a classic game you missed in your time, go for it.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →It's literally the best strategy turn-based game ever created. Highly recommend.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I'm extremely frustrated with this one, the game itself is great and was working fine for weeks until it just stopped. Black screen or minimized black screen upon start up after I somehow got through half the game. There's a ton of threads about it and there's probably 12 different ways people have fixed it, but I've had no such luck. I get how old games can be tricky. I play old school Xcom, Lords of the Realm, etc. Even AOW2 had an issue with the intro vid. I get it, but this one was an odd…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →This is the one they should remaster. I love these older fantasy strategy games as they are lean and mean, no bs straight up gameplay. I've played the newer iterations too but those are so slow and bloated and I'm more in favor with pixel graphics than the typical 3d that is everywhere. Maybe make a pack of Age of Wonder 1, 2 and Shadow Magic with few modern touches, upscale the graphics yadayada. I would buy that, yes, more likely than I would buy AoW 5.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Age of Wonders Shadow Magic is the definitive update to Age of Wonders 2, and you may safely ignore AOW2 without missing any cool stuff. The AOW franchise is the spiritual successor to Master of Magic, and great fun all around. If nothing else, download it for the scenario editor and random map generator. You won't be sorry. Hours of fun ahead for you, and a truly relaxing and chill little empire builder.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Game is outdated and should not be bought to play it on modern systems since it crashes frequently.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →My husband and I have played this game since it came out, and we still do.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I enjoyed it for over a hundred hours. The power trip for each faction was cool, i especially liked being evil. But it is very old, watch a youTube video to see if you can handle that little con. Have fun
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Excellent fantasy game.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →one of the best strategy games ever, mix of RPG and 4X elements, it has a long single player campaign and tons of skirmish maps, been playing it since i was like 12 years old, HIGHLY recommended
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Awesome strategy game. It was great ~20 years ago, and it's still great now.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →After playing the original AoW thousands of hours since it was first released, I decided to find a similar game. I love the original, I play it every year, replaying save files of my favorite campaign missions and scenarios. This game was highly rated so I was looking forward to playing it. Unfortunately I was completely disappointed. It is convoluted both graphically and game play. The great thing about the original was it's simplicity. It was all about the strategy, and no fluff. This…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →My first TTS, although I played The Wizard's Throne most, I think Shadow Magic is by far the best among AoW titles. Nothing beats its aestethic and atmosphere. 15 years have passed since I played it as a kid, I booted the game one day again and felt the same as back then.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →a real fantasy strategy game classic
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Best in the series. Get the fanmade patch, some mods if you want later on and get radmin to play online.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Arguably my favorite game, and favorite strategy game of all time, best incarnation of AOW
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →After decades of gaming, I can say without any doubt that this is one of the best turn-based strategy games of all times. Funny thing is a fact that this game can still stand side by side with a lot of modern turn based games. After all this years, it remained good enough to be played and seriously considered by any strategy fan. Unfortunately it can't be played properly on modern machines, unless played in windowed mode, which kinda ruins the feeling. That being said, I urge to Paradox…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Great classic game. Still holds up today.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →"game is dead. just a cash grab from lazy devs who abandoned it." 32 page long thread in the steam forum for Age of Wonders: Shadow Magic
neutral · AI labelView post →AoW is my favourite franchise of all time and this is possibly my fave out of the lot :)
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →10 games to get to know me ^.^ 1. The Legend of Zelda: Link to the Past 2. Super Castlevania 4 3. Skyrim 4. Bloodstained Curse of the Moon 5. Breath of Fire 3 6. Red Dead redemption 1&2 7. Tunic 8. Age of Empires 2 9. Age of Wonders: Shadow Magic 10. Stellaris
neutral · AI labelView post →This looks really nice. Gives me those old Age of Wonders: Shadow Magic vibes in the second pic.
neutral · AI labelView post →One of the best games I've returtn too, would be awesome to see it with improved graphics
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Ever had a game that's literally TOO good? Whenever I want to play a new fantasy 4x I pause, consider my options, then just play this one again. Own it on disc, GoG, and here.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →One of the best turn-based strategy games of all time.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Absolutely Recommend. This has been on every computer I have owned since it's release on CD back when strategy games were great. It still runs fine on my Win 10 PC using the unofficial update 1.4. There are still tons of community mods and maps over at AOW Heaven website. If you like turn based strategy, this would be for you.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Game is not the issue...it's all the A holes collecting data and spying on people while we play. Why am I the only one that feels sold out by steam?
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I've been playing this game since release every other year and I don't think I'll ever get tired of it. The music, art, magic, gameplay and units are all just good.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →It's too good. Best game in the series and I never found anything quite like this again. It's a pity the community is almost dead, so buy this immediately to revitalize it, it's totally worth it. It seriously needs a remaster with a good and easy way to play online. It's basically civilization with dragons and magic. All the civs are interesting and unique and there's always a lot of cool stuff to do. 10/10
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Steam sees '15 minutes', but I've sunk over a thousand hours into this game via a hardcopy of the CD back in the day. This game gets compared to Heroes of Might and Magic strategy games a lot, which is a good comparison. But this game is better, hands down. More in-dept combat, city building, heroes, strategies, magic system... pretty much in every way. If you like strategy games, this is an absolute MUST-have.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →it is an alright game , publisher though is political , ♥♥♥♥ company which will bring down everything it touches.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Great game. Deep gameplay, OK story and good looking
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →This game was such a gem. I still go back to it from time to time
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Age of Wonders: Shadow Magic. That game had a crazy variety of content. Massive campaign, tons of playable armies with different units and strategies, tons of magic to explore, hero units to train, cities to build, and map generation with an over world, underworld, and shadow lands to conquer.
neutral · AI labelView post →Over all, one of the best games I have ever played.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →For me, this is the best. Yeah it has problems but it is just charming and sandbox-y enough to hold me.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Fails to launch(
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →This is a game I played for hundreds of hours when it came out originally. It is an outstanding strategy game (right up there with Heroes of Might and Magic 3). Features I really like are creating magic items for heroes that carry over between scenarios within each of the campaigns. I like altering the map by building outposts, roads, raising or leveling terrain, freezing water to cross it and even moving your cities if you're playing the Nomads. Assaulting walled cities are hold your breath…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Age of Wonders: Shadow Magic is Turn-based Strategy game and the stand-alone expansion sequel to Age of Wonder 2. It comes with new races, units and a tutorial. This game is even better than the last one and is definitely worth trying out if you are a fan of the genre.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →This classic Age of Wonders title has amazing charm to it and colossal variety that feels like a fantasy proto-stellaris (which makes sense, it's by Paradox), combining RTS with grand strategy in a vast fantasy world brimming with content and customisation. It remains my favourite 4X game. You play as one of 15 different fantasy races each with their own units, structures, and tactics. You play across the surface world, the underground, and a new Shadow Realm vying for dominance against the…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →
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