Plot

The game tells the story of a young male apprentice who was raised by an old mage and sent to the Academy of Avencast to finish his studies of the arts of magic. The player takes control of the character when he is about to undergo preparations for his final exam which is to be passed in the local Crystal Caves.

Upon return to the academy, a cut scene shows the hero being chased and the academy destroyed by hostile demons. He finally reaches a haven inside the academy, where a few other NPCs have barricaded themselves. This is the starting point for the main part of the story, where he will discover his ancestry and reveal the mastermind behind the invasion of the academy.

Gameplay

The gameplay comprises killing monsters to gain experience points which in turn can be spent on raising characters stats or acquiring spells. Additionally the monster's bodies can be searched for gold or equipment like weapons (primarily staffs) and armour which can be sold or used by the character. For the purpose of carrying equipment the game provides the character with an inventory and also a belt for healing and mana potions and spells. The game allows fast access to items on the belt by key-bindings. This speeds up repeatedly opening books, which is necessary for solving some of the quests.

An equal amount of experience points can be achieved by finishing quests. Some quests also award the character with equipment, including unique items. Quests often contain riddles that must be solved by the player for accomplishment. These involve the activation of switches, the usage of runes to open passageways and the alignment of mirrors to focus laser like rays.

The game features a minimap that shows quest locations and automatically updates with the areas the player has visited.

Although the game features potions for healing and refilling mana, the character automatically recovers and gains both health and mana over time.

Minimum System Requirements For Avencast

    * Microsoft Windows XP / Windows Vista®
    * 2.2GHz Intel® Pentium® or 2200+ AMD® Athlon™ processor
    * 512MB RAM (1GB for running under Vista)
    * GeForce FX 5700 or better / ATI Radeon 9700 or better
    * 4x CD-ROM/DVD-ROM drive
    * Close to 4.5 GB free hard disk space
    * Dirext X 9.0c

Recommended System Requirements For Avencast

    * Microsoft Windows XP® / Vista OS
    * 3GHz Intel® Pentium® or AMD® Athlon™ processor
    * 1GB RAM
    * Quad Speed 4x CD-ROM/DVD-ROM drive
    * About 4.4GB free hard disk space
    * 256 MB Direct X9 video card (nVidia GeForce 7600GS+ or ATI X1600)
    * Dirext X 9.0c