From the box: "The Shadow Lord has taken control of Del. You must help Lief battle the Shadow Lord's minions in order to regain the 7 gems that make up the Belt of Deltora. Restore the belt and use it's pwers to fight the Shadow Lord. If the Shadow Lord is defeated in the final battle at Del, peace will be returned to the land." Players move around the board by dice rolling and card play, collecting Ability Points by landing on the 'speed', 'strength' and 'cleverness' spaces. Players also draw cards when they land on a 'draw card' space. These cards allow you to perform a variety of actions depending on you abilities. Most importantly they allow you to battle villains and potentially win gems. The game goes into the final battle when all of the gems have been won. Players then take turns using the gems they have collected to allow them to battle the Shadow Lord. If they defeat the Shadow Lord, they win the game.