When you think of a puzzle-RPG hybrid, chances are that Puzzle Quest comes to mind—unless you played the original Might & Magic: Clash of Heroes on the Nintendo DS. If you were one of those people, then you know that such a game can be more than simply Bejeweled with mana and experience points. It can also be incredibly strategic.

The high-definition remake, now available on Xbox Live Arcade and PlayStation Network, takes everything that made the handheld original a cult classic and balances the gameplay, makes everything more beautiful, and adds a terribly addictive online multiplayer mode.

For those who missed out the first time around, Clash of Heroes works like this: you and your opponent field units on opposite sides of a grid, and you'll need to match up units to attack and defend. Line up three like-colored units vertically and they'll charge up, ready to attack. Line them up horizontally and they'll form a protective wall. As with all great puzzle and strategy games, the basic concept is simple to understand. But once you factor in all of the different unit types and various special abilities, things become much more complex.

Might & Magic: Clash of Heroes HD xbox*, ps3 Release Date: now

now MSRP: $14.99 Official site * = platform reviewed

The main single-player campaign remains largely unchanged from the original version, aside from a few balance fixes. The lengthy adventure takes place in five parts, and in each one you'll control a different hero with its own unique units and abilities. The story is largely linear, though you can take on some bounty hunting side-missions and there are some—thankfully rare—random battles as well. These let you do some grinding if you wish, though it's largely unnecessary. But if you want to see everything in the game you'll need to do a bit of exploring.

Changing characters during the game can be jarring, as your experience gets reset each time. Since each chapter of the game features a new hero and new units—which also gain experience as you play—you're basically starting over from scratch. RPGs tend to be about character progression, continuously improving your character from the beginning of the adventure to the end. While the structure of Clash HD runs somewhat counter to that, it's a small price to pay to have five distinct heroes to play.

As you unlock characters, units, and other bonuses in the single-player mode, they will then become available in what's probably the game's biggest addition: a robust multiplayer mode.

The DS version did allow for multiplayer, but no online mode and the hassles of local DS multiplayer meant that it was far from ideal. Clash HD, meanwhile, features both local and online multiplayer modes, which extend the life of the game significantly. And because of the multiple characters, there's a ton of variety. Depending on which hero you use and which units you decide to head into battle with, the experience is very different.

In addition to the standard one-on-one battles, Clash HD also introduces two-on-two play, and it's very different. For each team, the units are randomly divided into two colors, and you can only move units of your color. This forces each team to work together. If you don't formulate a plan together, everything just becomes a mess. It's almost like playing chess in teams, but you can only move half of the pieces on your side of the board. Four-player is a lot slower and more methodical than two-player, but it provides a substantially different experience.

As addictive as the core gameplay is, we'd be remiss if we didn't mention the HD portion of the remake. Clash HD looks gorgeous. If you can remember the stark contrast between the graphics of classic 16-bit games and the beautiful artwork featured in the manuals, then understanding the difference between the two versions of Clash is easy. The DS version was retro-styled and pixelated, while the remake looks like a high-quality, hand-drawn cartoon. While the artwork is colorful and full of personality, it's the animation that really shines, especially when it comes to the attacks from bosses and the elite units.

Clash of Heroes was a great strategy game that not enough people played. This remake will hopefully remedy that. It's hard to deny the value proposition here: you get a remake of an already great game, with enhanced HD visuals, much better balancing, and an online multiplayer mode that extends the life of the game indefinitely, all for half the price.

Verdict: Buy