Tin Soldiers: Alexander the Great Review

The greatest warrior of the ancient world was undoubtedly Alexander the Great, the young King of Macedonia. In his short life time, this man led his armies on a series of conquests throughout the ancient world, taking him from northern Greece to the gates of the Indian sub continent. His seemingly invincible armies swept from the earth the greatest empire yet seen, the Persian armies of Darius. In this latest offering from Matrix Games, you can relieve the campaigns of the great leader of Macedonia, and re fight the battles of the past.

This game is a computer simulation of the campaigns of the legendary Alexander, with a twist, the game units are representations of wargame miniatures, the detailed playing pieces used by games for centuries. The game designers made sure the game has a true miniatures feel to it, from the detailed units, to the scenery and terrain. Playing the game is very similar to the feeling you get re fighting battles using those old miniatures rules, that many older gamers will remember.

Each unit is as completely accurate as possible, and the attention to uniform detail and weapons is outstanding. The manual, which is on the game disc, includes extensive historical details, and is quite comprehensive. Even though it is long, it is well thought out and cleanly illustrated, so learning to play the game is made much more simple then you would see in many games.

Game play is centered around Alexander's campaigns, and these are broken down into scenarios, and a campaign game. Players can select to play a battle, or the full blown campaign, as they see fit. The game has few control options in the strategic screens, so is easy to control, and won't overwhelm the novice game player. The game is turn based, not real time strategy, so players can control the pace of the game easily. There is also a feature that reacts to your moves, so the AI isn't completely passive as you maneuver about the game maps.

Tactical combat is a strong point in this system. The AI takes into account unit facing, moral, leadership, formation, and any number of other important variables during combat resolution. Historical tactics will work if employed correctly, and its important to understand the make up of your forces, and the capabilities of your enemies. Alexander's army was basically a foot army, that relied on classic Greek tactics of foot soldiers trying to overwhelm a flank, but he added his own flourishes to combat. Alexander used his personal cavalry body guard, called the companion cavalry, as shock troops, and he often tried to break an enemy with a well timed charge in a flank or against a wavering unit. Being a young man, he would sometimes lose his head in battle lust, but it never cost him on a battle field.

The campaign game is probably the most fun, and you can follow Alexander's path of conquest. Your units will gain experience in battle, and you will earn gold for upgrades, new weapons and armor, as well as several other options. In the campaign, you can replace generals, buy strategy cards (which enable your units to perform specific tactics) and so forth. You can also use the time to raise new troops, and train them, as well as drill existing forces, for the campaigns yet to come.

The flow of the campaign retraces Alexander's historical path, which begins with his father Phillip's death (or murder, depending on the historical source). Young Alexander must first subdue the Greek city states, many of which have no intention of following the Macedonian King, whom they consider to be a bumpkin and barbarian. As Alexander defeats these city states, his lust for combat and conquest increased, and he came upon the idea of attacking the Persians, just as they had attacked Greece in times past. Alexander soon finds himself in Asia minor, taking on the Persians in battle, but as in all campaign games, you must pay attention to what provinces provide needed gold, and where best to engage the Persians, who are no push overs in battle. You must not lose your best units in combat, or you will be defeated by Darius, and the game will be lost.

In tactical combat, the game uses the classic board wargame look of hexagons. Certain hexagons are designated victory objectives, and the AI will defend these quite well, unlike many other tactical games. This game refuses to be tricked into easy wins, and has a nasty habit of keeping reserves ready to hit your forces in strong counter attacks, that may well ruin your well planned battle (and your day as well!)

The sound quality of the game is excellent. The sound track fits the game mood perfectly, and when the units clash in battle, appropriate melee sounds are heard, making it all quite a bit of fun. Since this game uses a relatively simple game interface, its easy to play, easy to navigate, and players will spend the bulk of their time playing, instead of fighting the game system.

Overall, this is an outstanding effort from the game publisher. The AI is one of the best I have ever seen, and the game plays well from beginning to end. That, combined with all the fabulous historical detail included, make it a must for the serious wargamer, and fun for the casual gamer. Pick this one up, its worth the time.