Stronghold: Crusader

"SWORDSMEN! To the game shop!"

An outstanding RTS (Real Time Strategy) game. The realistic sounds, the amazing ability to train up to 9,999 units, the ability to FORGE weapons. Stronghold:Crusader is the most exciting game yet in the Stronghold series. There is no known storyline really but it offers a great number of campaigns that were history making events in the past. Here's just a bit of a layout about it:

GAME PLAY: Very good and it's very flexible. The modes you can play, "castle player" and "skirmish" are both excellent. With skirmish mode you can choose from the dud, Rat to Richard the lion heart. Yet campaigns are sadly not that great.

LIFE SPAN: As long as your imagination goes! There is NO LIMIT to playing. Once campaigns are over, you can always just play "Skirmish" for as long as you like. The life span of this has no limits. Sadly, the "Skirmish" games can get a bit quick, therefore it can get slowly boring.

MUSIC/ SOUNDS: Firstly, the music is appalling. The annoying Arabian music can drive any person insane. Second, the awesome sounds! When your swordsmen attack an enemy you can hear the stab of metal. When your archers fire you can hear the realistic noise and much more. The sounds of the game are ones that you wouldn't find in any other castle age RTS.

GRAPHICS: Good but yet it lacks something. All those who play AOE 2 (Age Of Empires 2) will find that the graphics are better in that. The walls look a tad to...dodgy. Needs to be a bit more colourful because sometimes it can be a bit sore on the eyes.

WHAT YOU CAN DO:
- Get ladder men to plant ladders against walls!
- Watch the smiths forge weapons!
- Train up to 9,999 troops!
- Dig pitch ditches and fire a flame arrow to start mass fires!
- Place troops on the walls and in towers
- Build siege towers and smash the enemy!
- Build trenches, moats and tunnels!
- Upset or please your people with bribes and taxes!
- Load the trebuchets with dead cows to spread diseases to the enemies!

OVERALL MARK

Game play: 7/10
Life span: 10/10
Sounds: 9/10
Music: 3/10
Graphics: 7/10
Overall mark: 7/10
Final comment: A great RTS full of action, adventure and war!

Reviewer's Score: 10/10, Originally Posted: 07/30/04, Updated 07/31/04