Rome: Total War (PC)

From first to last this is a simply quality game - your family tree expands and the ability to negotiate is certainly good fun if you get tired of defeating them on the battlefield. Also armies function as they would have done, with emphasis on different areas - for example a battle between the Selucids and the Parthians will be cavalry based - as is the nature of war in the desert. Elephants and chariots are fantastic but be careful they are prone to running amok - but nonetheless they remain devastating when used well.

The variety of game play is also fantastic, with custom battles or historical battles - I find the battle of Carrhae particularly challenging, plus there is an online multiplayer - though I have not tried that yet. Once you complete the prologue you can choose to be the Julii, the Brutii or the Scipii. If you fancy tackling the Gauls take the Julii, for the Greeks go with the Brutii and for the Carthaginians go with the Scipii - my personal favourites. Your missions are given by the senate with rewards for completing them though you can still do as you please in essence - I went for Greece and Africa as the Scipii and narrowed the Brutii territory. Also, whilst you cannot fight your allies (the Senate and the other Romans) - you will eventually get your chance!

Also the game is realistic in thatyour generals have good and bad traits, that you can rule your cities yourself, you can recruit mercenaries - Samnites being a personal recommendation along with Cretan archers. These can suppliment your armies and certainly help on long campaigns. The game also includes the Marian reforms - whereby your selection of units increases to the more traditional legionaries - but to start with, the Velites, Hastati, Principes and Equites should see you through.

If there are any drawbacks it could be that once you get 50 territories and Rome itself you cannot continue, however, if you wish you can leave the Senate in Rome and continue your conquests elsewhere!

Overall this is an absolute must for any fan of this era and of war gaming generally. Great selection of battles and armies with all of the possibilities on campaign surely make this the best in its genre, plus your generals give rousing speeches prior to battle - what more could a person want?

Although I personally have always prefered RTS's to turn based games, part of me thought it was a great shame that their untouchable detail and tactical scope had faded... Faded that is, until now!

Combining civilisation-like turn based management and diplomacy with astounding RTS battle sequences that obliterate anything seen before, Rome: Total War is a hybrid of terrifying brilliance!

I severely warn ANYONE who wants to buy this game to consider this, Do you have several hours a day free? Since once you've experienced thousands of men marching in awesome environmental sound, each graphically detailed in their own right, you'll find yourself saying "just ten more minutes" for many days to come.

This is a truely amazing game, that has relit the flames of computer games strategy to Olympic proportions. I recommend it to anyone who wants to feel strategy as it was meant to be...

When I first played it, the graphics seemed kinda rough around the edges. I was disappointed, especially after watching the game running on Time Commanders. So I cranked up the graphical options to max. I didn't think it would run too well, but whadya know? It ran even better! Strange, but true. The quality of the details, and especially the advanced shadows, took it all up to a whole new level.

Visually, Rome is amazing - provided you've got a rig good enough to run it at max.

(By the way - my system - 2.2 Ghz P4 / 768MB / G4Ti4400)

But what about the game play? Once again - amazing. I found the camera a little tricky at first, but once I'd mastered it, I was whizzing around the battlefield with ease. I'll go out on a limb here and say that I found it easier to use than the camera from MTW or Shogun, which at times were a little unwieldy and clunky. Rome feels so smooth in comparison.

The interface and map look good and I didn't have any problems finding my way around. The only problem was that the morale, weapon and defence icons on the banners was a little small and hard to read. But not really that much of a problem.

A lot of people are debating the speed of the game. Personally, I thought the speed was just right. I thought the speed of the units was quite realistic.

The animation of the units is stunning. Seeing a horse leap frog over a spearman during a charge is wonderful! Watching a group of roman infantry charge a line of spears and leap into the air, swinging their swords down onto their foe's heads while screaming battle cries was outstanding. Oh, and did I mention the poor guys getting tossed about by the elephants? It's not quite rag doll, but it looks great.

The cries of war, the calls of retreat, the cheers of victory. They all enhance an already amazing game. Oh and the music is pretty darn good too. It compliments the action perfectly.

Are the units too powerful? I didn't think so. The cavalry and the elephants can be devastating, but only when used correctly. Elephants can be just as dangerous to your own troops (as I found out!) when routing or panicking. The cavalry can be cut down easily by a prepared defence, even of light infantry, providing that the cavalry can be hit from two sides. Just make sure you watch your rear, no?

What else? Well, a couple of annoyances I guess. But nothing major. The big green triangles that highlights a selected unit are a little intrusive. I hope we can turn these off, or tone them down, but if not, then I can live with it. When your army is fleeing, you get these boxes appear down the side of the screen, which seem a little unnecessary and tend to get in the way, especially if you're trying to salvage a battle from a total loss. (I do like the boxes about the general's death though, sometimes I'd miss the close up in the battle)

The speed of the battle? Perfect. If you're playing it on the harder settings, it can take longer to rout the Romans. But if you do it right, then it's still over quite quickly. But have you tried playing as the Romans? Facing off against those elephants is tough, but possible to do. The battle tends to drag on for longer when you play as these guys.

AI? Roman AI seems fine, and it's strategy certainly becomes more complex on harder settings. Hannibal's though is a little iffy. Could be due to the fact that we're not really meant to be playing against them in the demo?

Overall, Rome turned out to be as great as what I was expecting. Sometimes, it's nice just to pause the action and zoom right on in and admire the beautiful carnage.

Personally, I hope CA don't change too much before the game ships. And I hope that happens soon! To the great battles that lay ahead!