Romance of the Three Kingdoms IV

"Who knew ancient China could be so fun?"

Romance of the Three Kingdoms is a long-standing strategy series based in ancient China. Though there is quite a bit of historical backing to it, the game is actually based on the Chinese novel ''Romance of the Three Kingdoms'', written by Luo Guan Zhong in the 14th century. Wow.

Though this game is strategy, do not confuse it for a Real Time Strategy game like Warcraft, or Command and Conquer. Simply because its not. Whereas those games simply focus on the militaristic aspect of war, the Romance of the Three Kingdoms series deals with things such as city management, politics, and sneaky underhanded things.

Which is the beauty of the game. To simply put the game mechanics into words would be quite an undertaking. Basically though, you have generals that each excel at doing different things... some more so than others. You use these generals to fight, search for other generals, improve your city, spy on the enemy, transfer goods, etc. The amount of depth this game has is quite impressive. Your average Joe could pick up much of it within a half hour to hour of play... but to actually master the game would take weeks or months of hard work.

Graphics - 9/10

Romance of the Three Kingdoms was never known for its graphics... though there's enough there to keep you occupied. Every officer, yes EVERY officer has a unique face. The overworld map is impressive looking, taking full advantage of the mode 7 capabilities of the SNES. There are also various pictures that pop up when certain tasks are accomplished... or not accomplished. If you commit a successful arson, for example, you'll see a picture of the city in flames. My 1 complaint is that the portraits and text are a little grainy.

Sound - 9/10

1 word. Repetitive. Another word. Good. When you start your game, you are assigned a song for your empire. A musical theme, if you will. Well, every single time its your turn, which is 95% of the game, you will hear that song. Over. And over. And over. Luckily, the songs are quite good, and have an ancient style rhythm to them. Sound is hardly important in this game, so feel free to turn down the volume and pop in your favorite CD when you get sick of it.

Controls - 10/10

Spot on. The interface is extremely easy to use, and even someone with no video game experience can pick up on it immediately. A is go. B is cancel. That's pretty much all you need to know.

Gameplay - 10/10

Wow. The amount of things you can do in this game simply boggle the mind. You can conquer ancient China from your throne room, theoretically, launching plots to weaken your adversaries so much you can simply walk over them with only a small handful of soldiers. Or you can forget politics, build up a massive army and just charge across China leaving nothing in your path but death and destruction.

Replay Value - 10/10

If set on fictional mode, as opposed to historical, the computer will be completely free in the decisions it can make. You will never, ever see the exact path played out game after game. Nor do you have to play the exact way each time you play. A true stroke of genius, this game will have you coming back again and again.

Rent or Buy : Buy

If you can, buy it. Its a rare gem few know of. Be warned though - this is a thinking persons game. If the most complex decision you ever made in a video game was to normal or armor piercing rounds, this probably won't be for you. For everyone else though, join Lord Liu Bei, Cao Cao, and Wang Fu for quite an experience.

Reviewer's Score: 10/10, Originally Posted: 12/28/03