FF7 follows the mold which has become known as console-style RPG"ing: your characters wander around in pursuit of their goals (saving the world or finding a good place to get pizza, as the case may be), occasionally falling into random encounters with bad guys. At this point, you switch to a battle screen, where you kill off the nasties (or knock them unconscious in the case of NPC"s important to the plot) by selecting various actions from a menu. Generally you can attack, cast a spell, use an item, or perform some other special skill. At the end, you may obtain gold or items, and will gain experience towards levelling (making you more powerful at attacking, casting a spell...). This is old hat to most of you, but FF7 adds a twist. Magic spells are made available by equipping special stones called materia.