Medieval: Total War (Activision, PC G8)

By PETER ELEY

(Herald rating: * * * * )

Ever wondered what it would have been like to face the Mongol Golden Horde as it swept across central Europe in the Middle Ages? Or to have been there with the ill-fated William Wallace as he tried to expel the English from Scotland?

Medieval: Total War gives you a window on these epic moments in a vast, sprawling game that encompasses a turbulent period in history.

It would be misleading to call it a totally new game. Really, it's a repackaging of Shogun: Total War, which was set around the feudal battles for control of Japan.

But Medieval: Total War takes advantage of newer technology to create a bigger and better experience, particularly in its strategic depth.

The graphics are better, too, and the vast battlefields are beautifully detailed. Units, which sometimes number in the thousands, stand out individually.

Like Shogun, the game is a mix of real-time strategy and turn-based empire building, with a few role-playing elements such as character development thrown in.

The aim of the game is to conquer Europe as one of the main power factions. Your campaigns will start in 1087 and end in 1453 — the period known as medieval.

Success is judged against the real achievements of the faction you choose — letting William Wallace hold Scotland will mean defeat, for example.

The historical depth of the game is breathtaking, ranging from the battles between the North African Almohads and the Spanish, the Polish nation's struggles against the Mongols and Teutonic Knights, the Byzantine battles between the Turks and Egyptians, as well as the old rivalries between England, Scotland and France.

Much of the campaign play is turn-based, and it unfolds much like a game of chess. A typical move lets you place an army and build units. It's cat-and-mouse as you gain strength, all the time judging when to engage in battle.

Numerical strength isn't everything, and factors such as morale, generalship and battle experience need to be taken into account.

Battles can be fought by the computer, or you can activate battle mode and fight them yourself, very much as in traditional real-time strategy games such as Age of Empires.

peter_eley@nzherald.co.nz