Rome: Total War

Photo gallery: Rome: Total War

OK, time for a quick confession. I've never played any of the previous Total War games, so if you're looking for a review full of the usual "but Medieval did this" or "This element's been improved from Shogun" style, then you've come to the wrong place. If, however, like me you've been rather taken with all the heavy advertising, and are curious to see if all the fuss is worthwhile, then read on..

I love it when a plan comes together
Rome: Total War is a real time strategy game set, as the name suggests, during the great era of the Roman empire, and while initially you'll control decidedly Italian forces as you try to raise your own particular family branch to the Imperial throne, there's also the option to play as any of the other historical races on offer, all of which have their own distinct advantages. Rome, of course, has heavily disciplined troops and lots of shiny armour, while Hannibal has control of a team of army commandos, falsely accused of a crime they didn't commit.. oh. No, wait, that was the A-Team. Suffice it to say, if your tastes run to huge weapons capable of slinging massive boulders, phalanxes of skilled spear warriors, elephants able to crush peasants into so much sticky goo, or even flaming pigs -- naturally enough used to scare elephants before you run out of peasants -- then you'll find plenty to enjoy in Rome: Total War.

The basic control mechanism in Rome isn't that much different to those found in other RTS games, although pleasantly it's been given some strong design with an eye towards making it as accessible as possible to anyone. If you, for whatever reason, don't want to worry about a particular battle, you can just automatically decide the outcome. Theoretically, you could even play a sort of 'Civ-lite' game this way, but you'd be missing out on all the fun of sieges, army charges, and even the grim kind of enjoyment you gain from your own defeats.

As a beginner in the game of total war, you'll appreciate the game's tutorial -- it can be a tad slow, but in a game this dense with detail, you'll need to learn the best way to command your troops, both on and off the field.

It's all fun and games until someone loses a Hastati
The real meat of Rome is in the battles, which start out small but scale up magnificently. In the large battles -- especially if you're assaulting a larger town (or being assaulted) you'll be particularly glad of the completely unrealistic ability you've got to pause all the action and issue commands to each of your units. If I wanted to be particularly picky, I'd point out that real Roman generals didn't have this kind of ability -- indeed, aside from broadly mapping out how they'd like the action to go, this kind of detailed troop control just normally isn't possible on any battlefield.

The range and scope of troops available in Rome covers everything that the ancient world used as a tool of war, from simple light infantry to cavalry, siege weapons and even armoured elephants. Admittedly, I haven't yet uncovered a small Gaulish village, holding out against the Roman forces due to their druid's magic potion, but I'm sure it's only a matter of time.

Sweet, sweet victory in Rome: Total War isn't just a question of the usual (and all too often dull) massed charges with larger tank-like forces, however, as most troop types have a weakness -- good archers can pick off just about anything, but if you don't protect them, other troops will cut through them like butter. Even elephants have their nemesis, in the form of flaming pigs. You can practically smell the burning bacon. In the game's conquer-the-world-and-write-your-name-in-the-annals-of-history conquest mode, you've also got to balance your conquests so to avoid pyrrhic victories, as your armies have to last longer than just the current battle.

Dumbo II: The Revenge
Aside from the conquest mode, Rome also offers the option for custom battles, which gives the game an awful lot of longevity. Sure, you'll start off pitting a massed army of peasants against a force of armoured elephants -- who wouldn't? -- but once the silliness wears off, you'll realise the challenges that this mode offers. With challenges comes depth, and that represents really solid value for money.

To put it simply, Rome looks gorgeous, especially if you've got a system capable of really pushing it to its limits. Even at the more mundane end of the PC spectrum, however, you'll still find it immensely playable and fun to watch, from the rather more abstract almost top-down view that gives you best tactical advantage to the fully zoomed view that gives you an almost soldier-by-soldier perspective. If you're after the full cinematic effect, it's even possible to lock the camera to a particular unit -- I still can't stop myself locking the camera onto some of the larger siege equipment, just so I can see missiles flying towards settlements. Audio is likewise solid, although as with many other RTS titles, you may grow weary of hearing the same audible cries from your troops. Well, aside from the noises they make while slaughtering enemy generals. Who wouldn't like that?

It's a dangerous time here at CNET.com.au. We've already got one staff member hopelessly addicted to The Sims 2, and we've even got another writer addicted to Halo 2 -- and that isn't even out yet! I would add myself to that list of game junkies, but to be honest, signing up would take away valuable time that could be used besieging ancient cities. Now, if you'll just excuse me...