Those who have devoted a good portion of their gaming lives to the phenomenon that is Magic: The Gathering will know very well how complex and tactical the trading card game can be. While its rule-set is complex, its art work fantastic, and the game fun to just play (with friends, or otherwise) – the true spirit of the game hasn't truly been captured by a video game based on the franchise.

Enter Magic: The Gathering – Duels of the Planeswalkers, which was recently released on Xbox LIVE Arcade. Offering 16 single-player duels, a number of co-op duels, and most importantly, multiplayer duels, Magic: The Gathering – Duels of the Paneswalkers offers a lot of playable content and longevity – both for those with a deep love and experience with the MTG mechanics, and newcomers alike.

In the “real world” card game, Magic: The Gathering takes inspiration from Dungeons of Dragons and adds a number of deep strategy mechanics that allow a number of players (known as Planeswalkers) to take on the role of powerful wizards, with the ability to summon artefacts, cast spells, and of course, the ability command troops in battle against other players.

Throughout the typical course of a game, fragile alliances form between players (usually due to certain cards being played, and the actions of others) in which players are able to buff, nerf, and attack one other, all with their own agenda.

Each Planeswalker begins the game with 20 hit points – these can be increased throughout the course of the battle through the use of artefacts, spells, or other abilities, and each player is able to work on their own, or with other Planeswalkers to bring down mutual foes that pose a threat.

The great thing about Magic: The Gathering is that two games are never the same, even when players are using the same deck over and over due to the random nature of cards being drawn, and the ability of “instant” cards to turn the current game scenario upside down for a short time.

While the real world game is a different kettle of fish to the recent Xbox LIVE release, a good understanding of the core gameplay helps in achieving success and enjoying Magic: The Gathering: Duels of the Planeswalkers.

In the Xbox release, players begin with a few basic decks, one for each of the varying elements. You begin the game playing green, with access to a red deck. After a few single player duels, you gain access to a white, and blue deck. Further in the game, you gain access to black and multi-coloured decks which increase the complexity and strategic options at your disposal by a simple unfathomable number.

To add to this, as you progress through the single player campaign (essentially a series of duels) you will unlock new cards that will be added to your deck, which you can then take online. Thus, Magic: The Gathering – Duels of the Planeswalkers rewards those who choose to devote a certain measure of time to the game, and also allows those who are new to the game to jump online with a relatively fair chance of winning should they know which tactics work, and what tactics don't.

The core gameplay mechanics of Magic: The Gathering are all present in the Xbox LIVE release, with the basic gameplay loop of Main, Attack, and Block all present. The constant threat of instants and debuffs tend to have the same impact as they do in real life – only lacking the human reaction and look of dismay on your opponent's face.

While that isn't at all evident against the AI, when playing against human opponents online (especially those that use a microphone) it’s easy to hear the frustration of certain people when things don't go their way. Speaking of the AI – the first few games can be very difficult while you're still coming to terms with the controls – with the AI constantly spewing out cards that are almost too perfect for the situation at hand.

In any case, the controls (and interface, for the most part) provide the greatest stumbling ground that is present in Magic: The Gathering: Duels of the Planeswalkers with both proving somewhat confusing in the first few hours of play. While this does diminish, there does seem to be many areas in which the game could be improved – more accurately prompting characters when it’s their turn, for instance, or more obvious pop-ups when a another player (or character) is making their move.

While this is a minor annoyance, after about 3 or 4 hours, you begin to grow accustomed to the game's quirks and annoyances, and thankfully, they eventually give way to one of the most entertaining and tactical experiences that is available on the Xbox LIVE Arcade platform.

Those who play Magic: The Gathering for the art work may be disappointed by Duels of the Planeswalkers, as there is no fancy 3D renders or pretty creatures gracing the screen as you do combat, with simple representations (and reproductions) of the cards the only fancy visual stuff on show.

While some of the loading screens feature enlarged (and somewhat breathtaking) images that appear on cards, there's not all that many compared to the actual number of cards there are in real life, but that isn't necessarily a bad thing, as the inclusion of even more cards in the digital representation of Magic: The Gathering could serve to be way too complex and overwhelming for what is an otherwise “simple” Xbox LIVE Arcade title.

It doesn't mean I'm complaining. While the game's music, sound effects, and art work are all on different levels (with the music and sound effects being the least redeeming features of the game) the art work and gameplay mechanics are so astonishingly deep and engaging that you'll soon come to suffer from “Just one more game” syndrome, especially when playing against human opponents online.

In essence, Magic: The Gathering – Duels of the Planeswalkers offers a lot of gameplay – whether you're trying to play online or off, and the inclusion of stuff like challenges (where you must use a certain hand to win a game in a single turn), along with tutorials, a full in-game rule book and manual provides more than enough information and tutelage to players (who are looking for it, at least) to be successful online.

The co-op feature could be improved by being able to play with friends that aren't in the same room as you, but you can just play “by yourself”, using two Xbox controllers to either defeat others online, or the AI, in order to unlock other cards and decks as you progress through the game.

While it takes a while to get used to, Magic: The Gathering – Duels of the Planeswalkers is a decent game. It probably won't appeal to the casual gamer, but if you're into D&D, or the real world MTG, get it, you won't be disappointed after you've sunk around about five hours into the game. Before those five hours tick over however, you might be a bit frustrated, or think “this is crap”.

The game grows on you, and makes it very easy to see why Magic: The Gathering is so popular.