"A Gratuitous But Great Sequel"

As promised at the end of 'Spellcasting 101: Sorcerers Get All The Girls,' author Steve Meretzky delivered this obligatory sequel, which continues chronicling the adventures of Ernie Eaglebeak, everyone's favorite collegiate nerd sorcerer. After all, Ernie has a lot of loose ends to tie up. His arch-nemesis, his evil ex-stepfather Joey Rottenwood, escaped during the finale of 'Spellcasting 101.' And the love of his life, the lovely but rather shallow Lola Tigerbelly, left to go shopping even after Ernie risked life and limb to save her. Will this game neatly tie up all the loose ends? Of course not. (If all of the story angles were completed, how would Meretzky make another sequel?) But regardless, this game will provide a lot of enjoyment for fans of text adventure games, and fans of comedic entertainment in general.
The game's design and interface are nearly identical to 'Spellcasting 101.' (I went into those things in slightly greater detail in my review of 'Spellcasting 101,' so if you like, you can check that review as well for further information.) There is the typing and message area, the location picture, the compass rose, and the word-selection menu for mouse users. Like all text adventure games, you type your commands (or create them with words from the sidebar menu via mouse), and Ernie does your bidding. Very simple stuff. Again, as in 'Spellcasting 101,' trigger-happy action gamers or graphics and effects nuts should avoid this title.
The plot of the game is fairly straightforward. Ernie has just started sophomore year (each 'Spellcasting' title takes place the year after the previous one), and he is pledging the Hu Delta Phart fraternity. So of course, Ernie must endure 'hazing week,' when the initiated brothers assign humiliating tasks to the poor pledges. Meretzky takes every opportunity to deliver wicked satire of fraternity behavior, and anyone who has ever attended college will find comedic parallels to real life.
Unfortunately for poor Ernie, the Hu Delta Phart pledgemaster Chris Cowpatty seems to have it in for our hero. Chris assigns Ernie with bizarre and seemingly impossible tasks, in the hopes of keeping Ernie from ever becoming a full-fledged Phart. Naturally, Ernie (and the player) can somehow manage to complete these tasks, by using both Ernie's magical prowess, and the mysterious Sorcerer's Appliance, which Ernie has been assigned to 'investigate' by Sorcerer University President Otto Tickingclock.
And, just as in 'Spellcasting 101,' Ernie will have the occasional encounter with a member of the opposite sex, and the results of said encounters will vary greatly on whether you are playing the game in 'nice' or 'naughty' mode. The sexual content of the game is very tame, and will bore anyone searching for graphic smut. Still, the game is technically 'adult,' so keep that in mind if you are easily offended.
Another point of possible offense comes somewhere in the middle of the game, when Ernie creates a woman of his own design named Eve with the Appliance. This is a humorous game, and none of this is aimed strictly to offend, but some folks might not like the religious (or sexist) overtones of a guy creating life for his own needs. Eve is not just a sex toy and is needed to solve some puzzles during the game, but the entire concept might turn off some gamers, so you have been warned.
On the brighter side, Meretzky's adventure design is as sharp as ever. A lot of the puzzles in 'Spellcasting 201' are brain-busters, but they can be solved by a patient and thoughtful player. (I recommend that you play the game with friends; not only is it more fun that way, but the more heads you put together, the more likely you are to come up with a solution.) And even if you get stuck, Meretzky's witty writing and amusing characters will keep a smile on your face. Tip for free: a lot of the solutions to the early puzzles come from attending class, so make sure you keep an eye on your schedule. (Unlike real life, class attendance is crucial in computer game colleges.)
As in 'Spellcasting 101,' there are minor graphical and audio perks to the core adventure game. The game takes place primarily on the Sorcerer University campus, so most of the location pictures show busy quads and ivy-covered buildings. The artwork really adds to the collegiate flavor of the game.
The sound is a bit more sparse. There is the occasional sound effect or musical track to highlight certain events, such as a spell miscasting or when you gain a level. But all in total, there isn't a huge sound presence in 'Spellcasting 201.'
The replayability factor of this game is slightly higher than 'Spellcasting 101,' since there seem to be more silly things you can do for equally silly game responses. Also, make sure you spend some time watching your fellow pledges try to complete their assignments. There usually isn't enough time in the day to watch them AND complete your own duties, so save your game before you run off to watch your fellow initiates. There are all sorts of amusing campus activities, such as Pokkaball games and rock concerts, that you might miss if all you do is move from puzzle to puzzle to finish the game.
I am giving this game a slightly lower score than I gave 'Spellcasting 101' and 'Spellcasting 301,' for various reasons. 'Spellcasting 101' gets a bonus for being the original game of the series and for being a cult classic of sorts. 'Spellcasting 301' gets a boost from it's great music, and for its spirited tone.
However, for me personally, this game is my favorite. I suspect that it has something to do with me being a college student (at the time of this writing); this game takes place primarily on a campus, and has a very strong college feel to it. Also, the Appliance adds a very arcane and mystical presence to the adventure. I am a magic geek, and this game seems to be the most magic-oriented of the series. There is something very cozy and relaxing about this game that I can't quite explain. Objectively, however, I realize that a lot of this is specific to myself, and would not apply to the world at large. Therefore, I will give this title a slightly lower score than its two companion games, as I believe that most other gamers would enjoy those two titles a bit more than this one.
If you couldn't tell, I am a huge fan of the 'Spellcasting' series, and recommend this game to anyone who can sit down, relax, and enjoy some wonderful writing and brain-tickling puzzles.

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 01/31/00, Updated 01/31/00