You must find the assassin before he reaches the forbidden city of Shadar Logoth. But the way is fraught with danger. Afraid? You should be. This is not an easy undertaking. As Elayna Sedai, Keeper of the Chronicles of the White Tower, you have certain powers, certain skills which will serve you well, but they are many with similar skills standing between you and your goal.

When Robert Jordan penned the best-selling fantasy "Wheel of Time," few may have thought it could have been transcribed into a PC game. Those few were wrong. Not only has GT Interactive made the transition, but accomplished it in a thoroughly enjoyable interactive way to send shivers of delight up and down the spines of game players. Not since Unreal, has a game so totally blended a thoroughly interactive 3D realm with incredible danger.

Wheel of Time is a mission-based game, throwing a daughter of the Aes Sedai against forces unimagined in nightmares, on a quest to recover keys that will seal the prison of the Dark One. Each mission is based on either accomplishment, or time. But you have finite powers, unless you can find icons of power, up to 40 spells, which will give you the ability to defeat any enemy you encounter. But be forewarned, each foe is progressively stronger, each danger tests you more than the previous one, and to succeed, you will need wits, and reflexes.

Wheel of Time is a fascinating and wonderfully rendered work. The scenes are not only completely interactive, the game board massive in nature, but the intrigue and danger are sudden and final. Fail to be prepared, and you will die, only to begin again. This plays out in the manner of the best of interactive role-playing games. The graphics are stunning, the play seamless and the audio outstanding. Even up close, the graphics are strong, not pixilated, which is due to an incredible engine that powers that program. Yes, you must have the capabilities of playing the game - a 3D accelerator card is almost mandatory along with a Pentium 200 system - but you will be rewarded in a magnificent way.

Wheel of Time presents a wide array of villains, a fantastic storyline and great landscapes. This game is not only entrancing, but a pleasure for the senses.

The storyline is this: The Dark One, once bound, is on the brink of escape. Keys, instrumental to his capture, have been stolen. As the heroine, you must recover the keys from fanatics. You have become head of the sisterhood through no great design of your own. However, entrusted with the duty, you sally forth to recover that which was lost and bind the Dark One again, to save the world. Yes, it is a redundant theme, but GT Interactive has breathed fresh life into it through the graphical quality of this program You collect icons, which have certain mystical powers. There are 40 spells in all, and herbs that will keep you healthy through your encounters with trollocs, Myrddraal, Mashadar tendrils and legion troops. Each twist and turn in the plot lays forth new challenges, new adventures and new terrors. Solve traps and puzzles, and vanquish your foes. Not an easy feat, even if playing at the easy level in a three-level of difficulty program.

Search for clues to your objective. Sometimes it lies right before you, but too intent on the goal, you will fail to see it. You must traverse a wide variety of terrain - from earthquake-ridden hills and caverns, to lakes. Always look around - the easiest way may not be as noticeable upon first glance.

The program is best when using a combination of keyboard and mouse. But take the tutorial - it gives you the fundamentals for moving through the first levels relatively unscathed.

Wheel of Time also supports multi-player gaming. You can play the arena game, which is a death match, or the citadel game, in which you defend your home while trying to capture the seals from other teams.

Rife with fantastic terminology, an immersive 3D environment and characters that stay true to their species, Wheel of Time is an incredible vehicle for the gamer that wants the joy of adventure and the challenge.

The game is rated T for animated blood (more often than not, your own while you are learning the features) and violence. If you have played Unreal, and seek to advance along the path of higher and more dangerous game playing, this program is right up your alley. The manual does not provide a quick reference chart, but the controls are so simple to figure out, that you will be immersed in no time. The game also features on-screen prompts to help guide you - at least initially.

Installation: 5. This program will eat at least 540 megs of hard drive space. Yes, it eats a lot, but rewards the player with sensation graphics.

Gameplay: 8. Lag is experienced in multi-player gaming, but that is a server’s fault, not the programs.

Graphics: 9. The graphical quality of this program is absolutely stunning.

Sound: 9. The music is good, but falls by the wayside in relationship to the ambient sounds and battle noises. This programs brings it all to life, and a big part of that is the sound quality.

Concept: 8. While the base concept may not be original, the overall format is tough to beat in this genre.

Difficulty: 9. Even at the easiest level, this is a tough game to play. The player interface is simple, but the game play is very tough.

Value: 8. Few games can tease and please the senses like this one does.

Overall: 8. The installation may be nothing to write home about, but the program itself is phenomenal to play.