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Actual Game
Castles II
Siege and Conquest
1-Click Install
Windows
11, 10, 8, 7, Vista, XP
(Interplay 1992)
MY PROMISE
My games are genuine, install in one step, look, sound and play in Windows 11, 10, 8, 7, Vista and XP like they did in the old days, or yourmoney back. This is my unconditional guarantee for three years.
WHAT IS INCLUDEDThis listing includes the original game CD. A complete electronic manual is also included. The box is pictured forreference and is not included.
I will also provide a compatibility CD that will allow the game to run under Windows 11, 10, 8, 7, Vista and XP.
INSTALLATIONOne step: Insert my CD and the game will work on your computer. Done. Yes, it's thatsimple.
Want to play? Click the icon. Want the game off your computer? Click Uninstall. Zero hassle.
TECH SUPPORT Rapid response technical support for three years is always an e-mail or phone call away.
In the extremely rare event I cannot get this title to work on your system I will take it back for a full refund. All Iask is minimal assistance from you during the troubleshooting process.
The GameCastles II: Siege and Conquest is a high-level strategy wargame, inwhich the player acts as one of five powers attempting to conquerBretagne, a twin of medieval France. Success is achieved by forming anempire that is territorially, militarily and politically strong enough toconvince the Pope to recognize your claim to the throne. As in theoriginal Castles, gameplay is spiced up by 'plots', evolving andentertaining storylines in which you must make decisions that can affectthe game. Castles II includes digitized movie footage to accompany gameevents. It's a playable and enjoyable game, with a slick design andinterface; the downside is that it doesn't allow for too much subtlety inthe player's actions.
At the start of the game, each of the five powers vying for Bretagne --Aragon, Anjou, Burgundy, Valois, and Albion -- controls a single provinceout of 36. The player recruits an army, takes over nearby neutralprovinces, builds castles to increase production and forestall revolts,buys off some of his political rivals and takes out the others, all whilemaintaining sufficiently good relations with the Pope to avoidexcommunication. When one's score -- determined not only by territoriesheld but also by army strength and the quality of one's politicalrelations, among other factors -- is sufficiently high, one petitions thePope for his endorsement as the new king of France.
Castles II lets you perform these various activities as three kinds of tasks --administrative (e.g. harvesting resources, building castles), military(attacking, recruiting), and political (negotiating,spying). Each taskrequires both 'task points' and resources. You start out with task pointsof each type and gain more by successful completion of tasks using thosepoints. Resources include food, timber, iron and gold. You can have upto two tasks of each kind running at any given time. Success depends oncoordinating your tasks to achieve your strategic goals. If you'replanning a war with one neighbor, you should negotiate peace with theothers; if you plan to build a castle, you need to stockpile sufficientresources to support your other efforts while your workmen are busybuilding it; and so forth.
Along the way, various plots will be brought to your attention, addingspice the routine. These interactive storylines rangefrom comic to serious to fantastic: you may find yourself fending off adung-seller, raising a navy to fight pirates, or commissioning anexpedition to the golden kingdom of Prester John. Your decisions can haveconcrete effects -- an expedient marriage might increase your politicalrating, while a defeat at sea could cost you troops from your army.
The interface is very smooth. The game is real-time, advancing aboutone day every 1.5 seconds -- fast enough to give a sense ofdynamism, but slow enough that I never felt rushed. Clicking on a province shows its status andgives you options to attack it, scout it, etc. Clicking on the administrative,military or diplomatic rectangles opens a general menu of that type. If a battle occurs, onecan either let the computer resolve it or control it manually from a 3/4display of the province. Designing castles occurs from the same display,and has been greatly streamlined since Castles I.
The game's only problem is a lack of subtlety in player options. Intheory, one can give orders to each individual unit in battle; inpractice, it's hard to do more than order a particular unit type (knights,infantry, or archers) to stand or advance. Negotiations with other powersare confined to buying them off; one can't make a defense treaty, offer tojoin with them against another power, or demand they withdraw from someborder province. The layout of one's empire has no effect on attack ordefense: a nation with 10 border provinces to defend is at nodisadvantage over one with only 3, nor is there a way to garrisonprovinces in expectation of an attack.
Castles II feels a bit like Risk -- it doesn't fully reflect real warfareand empire building, but is still great fun to play. For those who are just looking for awell-presented and entertaining game with that nifty medieval flavor,Castles II fits the bill.
