Astral Masters

Astral Masters is a fantasy-themed trading card game (TCG). In other words, it's something like Magic: The Gathering, albeit simpler. It has two big things going for it: First, the interface is slick. Unlike some digital TCGs that try to replicate the tabletop TCG experience too closely, it's easy to figure out what each card does and how to deploy it effectively. Second is the price--a mere $20. Magic Online charges you by the card, and your cost can accumulate pretty rapidly; many other TCGs also have a "boosterpack" or subscription model. For a reasonably low, fixed price, you can play Astral Masters forever.

The game has just about every play mode you might want--single player duels; eight round tournaments against a variety of AI-controlled wizards; and play agianst live opponents, either online via Apus Software's servers, or over a LAN or in hotseat mode with a buddy.

No, you won't put away your Magic cards forever. But when you have a yen for some card play, and a friend with a deck isn't around, you can always fire up Astral Masters to satisfy your jones.

Apus says:

We welcome all card players and invite you to challenge your brains and hone strategic thinking skills in a new turn-based strategy card game, Astral Masters. The game is built on the success of its massively popular predecessor - Astral Tournaments, which won the hearts and minds of thousands of card players around the world. Take a fantastic tour to a world of mages and wizards and engage into hot duels with hundreds of sneaky and artful magicians who will try to stop you on your way to the rank of Archmage.

In Astral Masters, you play a mage who specializes in a magic element such as Fire, Earth, Air, Water. Up to six creatures at a time help you attack the enemy mage. Your objective is to weaken your opponent by casting spells and summoning creatures so that the enemy's life declines to to zero.

Astral Masters key features are:
- Totally addictive gameplay with cool bonuses
- Sleek, eye-pleasing graphics with vignettes and artistic murals
- Multiple tournaments, each with 8 rounds and different enemy mages
- Computer and Multiplayer Modes
- Comprehensive player's guide

Reviews:

"Collecting Mana, fighting with the enemy, summoning creatures, you can spend your time in a very interesting way. Pretty graphics, an ability to play either with people or your computer, single games and tournaments - all this guarantee you a couple of exciting hours" 3d2f.com

"...while it certainly won't turn many people into card game lovers, Astral Masters does offer a challenging experience for those willing to put the time into it. Fans of collectible card games will definitely appreciate the game (especially because of the low price)" gamevortex.com

"for such a small release it does an impressive job of basically cloning the Magic: The Gathering card game and translating it into an easy to play Windows game" gaminghorizon.com