Preview: Eye of Judgement (PS3)

Fans of Magic: The Gathering or that insatiable hunger known as Pokemon - your time is at hand.

What is at hand exactly? Well, another collectible card game actually. But it's controlled, all robot and AI-like, by the PlayStation 3, using Sony's EyeToy accessory.

The whole deal is called Eye of Judgement. The setup involves placing a special mat down and positioning the EyeToy looking down at it. Don't worry, the game comes with a stand so you don't have to engineer your own out of spaghetti and masking tape.

Sony was only able to provide 'October' as the release date.

Two players face off, either online or across from each other, taking turns to play cards from their hands. Each player has a deck of 30 cards, from which they draw five at the beginning of the game. Along with this main deck, there are four special cards that you can place on the board to perform actions, such as attacking, ending your turn or cancelling an action. Playable cards come in two types - spells and creatures.



Each tile on the board represents an element - Water, Earth, Wood, Fire or Biolith, the configuration of which is determined before the game starts. Biolith is the exception - there is only ever one of these tiles, and it is positioned in the board's centre.



On their turn, a player receives two mana, which can be spent summoning a creature or casting a spell. Mana can be saved by simply ending your turn without taking action. Creatures you own also give you mana back when they die.



EoJ is an easy game to get into, with all the thematic charm of Magic minus the learning curve. If you can afford the $159.95 asking price, and love your CCGs, then EoJ will deliver the fun.