Step back in time to the days of mystery and wonder with the magical game of Runic.

In this game, you are the keeper of the runes and must try to energise the whole of the rune board before you are becoming consumed by the deadly Fire of the Magi. A square becomes energised by placing a runestone on it, but the actual positioning of the runes is the the tricky part. Any rune stone that you place on the board must be positioned next to another runestone which is already there. You can only place a stone in a position where all the stones that it touches (to the left, right, above and below) are either of the same colour or of the same shape as the stone being positioned. The only exception to this rule is the all-grey tile known as the Rune of Odin. Like the Odin or Norse mythology, this stone all-knowing and can be adjacent to any other runestone of any shape or colour.

At the start a Rune of Odin will be positioned at the center of the board. Hover over the board with your mouse and you'll see the runestone that you're carrying. To position the runestone, just click with your left mouse button on the board where you wish to place the rune. You'll see the space underneath your positioned runestone change color, indicating that the space is energised.

As you play, you'll find that every now and then another Rune of Odin is bestowed upon you which you'll be able to position anywhere on the board. Use it well, for this Rune may be the difference between you succeeding in your task or failing.

Another thing that you can use to your benefit is that if you create a continuous line of Runestones, either vertically or horizontally from one edge of the board to another, those Runestones will be magically removed from the board, yet the spaces where they had been will still remain energised. This can be very useful, particularly as the game progresses, as it will get increasingly difficult to find suitable spaces to place your runestones as the board gets more crowded.

As you're deciding where to position your rune stones, watch out for the Fire of the Magi. The fire will continue to grow higher whilst it detects that no stones are being placed on the board - leave it too long and the fire will grow too strong and too high, and will consume your life, the runes and the entire game. However, each time you place a runestone on the board, the stone will help to extinguish the fire a little.

If you find yourself holding a rune stone that you just can't find a suitable place to position on the board, you can throw the stone into the Fire of the Magi by clicking your right mouse button. Having disposed of a stone this way, you will be given a new stone as a replacement. Beware however, this can be a dangerous option, as throwing a runestone into the fire will give the fire more fuel, enabling it to immediately flare up to more dangerous levels.

Can you energise the entire board and progress to the next level?