Avencast: Rise of the Mage Preview

The folks at Jolt Online Gaming are offering up the latest hands-on preview of ClockStone Software's Avencast: Rise of the Mage.
You take direct control of your character there are no companions that you can take control over and explore the world much as you would a third-person adventure game, albeit with an overhead view. Although the graphics aren't cutting edge, the magical effects are pleasing to the eye and there seemed to be a good amount of variety and detail in the environments. Conversation options tend to be limited to the Yes/No variety, but for an action RPG we wouldn't expect much else. We bumped into quite a few characters in the academy itself, many of whom had something to offer in the way of information or side tasks.