Publication Facts and Rating (0 to 5 stars) "At-a-Glance"

Publisher: Virtual Magic, Inc.
Publication Year: 1995, 1997
Number of cards: 78
Quality of artwork -- 2 1/2 stars
Usefulness for meditation/pathworking -- 0 stars
Readability (Divination) -- 0 stars
Symbology -- 1 star
Value to Collectors -- 3 stars

General Commentary
There are many reasons to select a particular tarot deck... to appreciate its artwork, to study its symbolism, or perhaps because its imagery invokes some psychological connections that make it a good springboard for meditation or divination. And, of course, there's always those who appreciate a deck's "collectibility," a somewhat intangible concept that takes all of the preceding into consideration and factors in the variable of "rarity."

But in the United States, there seems to be one aspect of tarot cards that is largely overlooked; to wit -- their use as a tool for playing card games. In Europe, card games that use tarot (tarock) decks are still widely played. While the trump and court cards may be adorned with interesting imagery, many of the tarots produced for distribution in Europe feature little more than the suit pips of a standard 52-card deck on the so-called "minor arcana" cards. And even the illustrations on the major arcana cards may not correspond with the "traditional" symbolism found in divination-style tarots.

Whatever other deeper meaning or purpose we may find in tarot, it remains, in its basic format, a pack of cards. So there will always be those who can imagine its use in a variety of diversions. Probably the most well-known recent tarot (in the U.S., anyway) that was designed primarily for game-playing is Donaldson, Pracownik, and Fitzgerald's Lord of the Rings tarot. Less well known, but perhaps just as interesting, is Atle and Jarl Vere's Spheres Tarot.

Although there is some interesting imagery in the Veres' deck, the Spheres Tarot cannot seriously be considered as anything but a game-playing deck (or a collector's item... but then, any tarot can be considered a collector's item in some fashion). The individual picture elements on the cards are competently executed (well, mostly...), but are obviously computer generated and then repeated, collage-fashion, variously throughout the deck to emphasize the associations needed to play the game. Other than trying to capture the stereotypical essence of the majors, there is no attempt at a deeper symbolism here. But then, who needs symbolism when you're attempting to out-strategize your opponents!?

The cards' construction is thin and flexible, with a slick coating that adds durability and helps make for easy shuffling and dealing. They should be able to withstand a reasonable amount of "beating" that inevitably occurs with cards that endure heavy game-playing use. The pictures themselves take up a smaller-than-usual percentage of the card space, as room is needed on many of the cards for the printing of play instructions. Unlike the Lord of the Rings game, which requires only one deck for up to 6 players, each player of the Spheres tarot game must have his or her own 78-card deck in order to play. The rules are very sophisticated and detailed; a complete run-down of how the game is played is beyond the scope of a review such as this. But in brief, players assume the roles of mages who attempt to eliminate each other's cards from the game by using their own cards to "cast attack spells" that weaken or remove their opponents' cards. The last one with cards remaining in a special playing position referred to as the "the Domain" is declared the winner.

Since the game uses a standard 78-card deck arrayed in the "traditional" manner (22 majors, 56 minors with 10 pip and 4 court cards in each of four suits), the game could theoretically be played using any standard 78-card tarot. But the complexities of the game probably warrant the specific use of the Spheres deck itself, as the extra instructions and visual clues that are printed right on the cards would probably be needed by all but the most experienced players.

If you are an eclectic collector, or if you enjoy fantasy card games in the vein of the popular "Magic: the Gathering" system, the Spheres tarot may be of interest to you. Readers and more selective collectors may want to give this deck a miss, as the game elements that are incorporated into the cards are too distracting for good divination, and make the cards too cluttered to enjoy the deck from a purely art-appreciation standpoint. While copies of this deck occasionally show up on the on-line auction sites, and may be purchased through some of the more eclectic tarot and fantasy game retailers, the Spheres tarot can also be purchased directly from Virtual Magic for only $10 per copy (plus shipping). Orders can be placed by calling 1-800-99-SPHERES; although Virtual Magic has a website, they have not yet implemented a secure on-line ordering system. If you want to visit the website (which is very strange; be prepared to do some odd, non-intuitive navigating before you get to information on the tarot itself), the URL is, logically enough, www.spherestarot.com. And to all players: happy tarot spell-casting! May your cards emerge victorious!

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Guest review copyright 2000 by Jeannette Roth
Used with permission