Although Faith in Destiny, the previous (also chronologically) installment of Spellforce series, was slightly disappointing, Demons of the Past is an amazing game, especially for the fans of the Spellforce series.

Gameplay - RTS and RPG mix still exists. Although I always liked Spellforce 1 (platinum edition on Steam)'s RPG system (skill building, etc.) more, the RPG side of Demons of the Past is pretty great still. Many side quests and main quests give you many details about the story, making it long, good and rich. RTS, on the other hand, is really good - challenging, yet easy to do still. The system also makes it easier to use some of the skills, spells and other special abilities. Army often can even do it on their own. It may be a bit hard for the newcomers at the start, but not too hard.

Soundtrack - as always, soundtrack to this new part of the series is pretty good.

Voice acting - it has certainly improved from previous titles.

Bugs - there may be a couple, but nothing too big. They haven't really bothered me.

I haven't played multiplayer with DotP much yet, but previous titles were already a lot of fun. You can even play the campaign with someone cooperatively.

Overall - 4 out of 5. It brings a good end to Spellforce 2, similar to Dragon Storm, and perhaps equally dark to Shadow of the Phoenix. Although the engine is old, it was improved. It may have some bugs and/or a downside or two here and there, but it has been a very enjoyable game with a very good story and also a good to Spellforce 2.

Actually I am sitting on the fence a bit with this new Spellforce game. I've clocked a number of hours but haven't got a long way through as yet. But I'll give it a thumbs up merely because I think it will end up ok - vastly different to the number of thumbs down reviews here from people who have spent little time in the game and their issues sound more like technical or other problems rather then an actual "review" of the game itself.

Sure, it's got a few bugs, but I haven't seen a game release in ages that didn't have bugs first up - sometimes badly affecting even being able to play. It does have some other developer issues like the stealth mission in the Stepping Stones "My god what were they thinking!". This kind of mission doesn't suit this type of top down rpg/rts at all. And there are bugs where if you skip missions, do things in the wrong order or something, some weird things show up. But like all other games, the dev's do hear about these issues and I'm sure there's patches coming.

The game itself, well if you have ever played the other Spellforce games, it will be instantly recognisable. it's much the same gameplay. What they are doing here is finishing up the story of the entire series. Considering the series started a long time ago, I've forgotten most of the story anyway... but, certain things do spark a memory flash in my brain at times.

The game is reasonably priced, it's not an "A" title, so don't expect the latest graphics and latest engine, it's running on the old Spellforce 2 engine. So far it's reasonably enjoyable, although sometimes a little frustrating. Mainly because the game so far is pretty linear in format. Even though they have lots of side quests (so they say) they are really nothing and get swallowed up by the main quest ie: if you complete a section of the main quest line then bang! Those side quests you had are now irrelevant or unplayable because you moved on - literally - it shifts you to a different area in the game world.

I guess Spellforce has always been a bit like this - just wasn't expecting for it to hit me so hard in the face with it, like when it transports you off to the Stepping Stones and you are sitting there going "No, I need to level up and I wanted to visit the merchants and that side quest I was doing...oh...bugger".

But as I said, it's not an "A" title and it's price means it's most probably worth it, so give it a shot - whether you've played Spellforce before or not.

Spellforce II: Demons of the Past is an old-looking game, both in graphics and gameplay. There is some kind of narrative value here, but will appeal only to faithful fans of the series.There’s a lot of content here, with a sprawling campaign and varied multiplayer modes, but ultimately it’s not worth the slog of what amounts mostly to tedious battles and glorified fetch quests. Despite this, the core gameplay is solid and the mash-up between RTS and RPG is a lot of fun. If you are a long time fan and follower of Spellforce 2, then I can imagine that Demons of the Past is right up your alley. You’ll easily understand the events surrounding the main storyline, and you will have been used to the nuances of properly playing the game. For everyone else, Demons of the past is a mediocre game that is not particularly memorable.Maybe SpellForce 3 will be a game that anyone will have to play, unfortunately Demons of the Past is for hardcore fans only.

Now then, I have been very fond of the Spellforce series this far, and have many fond memories of them. Unfortunately though, this release is still in a serious need of further updating. As the game is currently, it is nothing more than seriously frustrating and an annoyance.

Leaving the lack of missing patches aside, this standalone release of Spellforce may provide many hours of joy and feelings of nostalgia to everyone who remembers playing Spellforce 1. But until those bugs have been removed, a bit of patience may be useful.

Bugs, bugs, bugs. Lacking a serious tutorial. There are so many things a new player to the series will not understand. I you haven't played the earlier versions, don't buy this game. Unless you enjoy spending time on youtube trying to find out what you are supposed to do; or writing and waiting for answers on the Steam forum. I think this was the worst money spent. I am tired of half-made games being put on Steam for developers to make a quick buck. MAKE YOUR GAME THEN SELL IT. You have been warned......