A cryptic chain of letters guides him onto the main quest which involves four powerful gemstones, and soon enough he's travelling across the lands, invading goblin strongholds and dwarven fortresses in order to prevent a cataclysm from taking place.

Probably the greatest feature of Eschalon is the freedom of exploration, there are very few artificial barriers in place to force a player along a pre-determined path. Instead the game opts for the more organic approach of giving travel advice via NPC conversations and readables. Only rarely are gates used to block further progress, and walking off the beaten path is often rewarding.

To help with the exploring, Eschalon sports a detailed automapping system, but asks that skill points be invested in the Cartography skill to use it. Sadly, there are no recruitable characters to help the player, and while character dialogues aren't badly written I still couldn't shake the feeling that NPCs were little more than quest dispensers or shopkeepers. At least some quests allow for multiple solutions.

But the bread and butter of the game is the combat. The turn-based system allows for a tactical approach, with the environment playing a vital role. Gates can be slammed down on monsters' heads and traps can be laid down in tight passages. Light, sound and line of sight also play a role, and, while other games make darkness your enemy, here it can be made an ally. With little effort, any character can become a proverbial ninja, striking unseen.

But, unfortunately, Eschalon's versatile system is unbalanced to the point of being broken. Most of the spells in Eschalon outright replace various skills and equipment, rather than being sidegrades or buffs. Mage characters become nigh-unstoppable powerhouses as a result.