Ever fancied you'd have done a better job settling America if only you'd gotten here first? Know you would have had some choice words for the Queen and they wouldn't have been "Your Majesty"? Whatever your inclination, now you have the chance.
Conquest of the New World, an elegant CD-ROM product from Interplay Productions and Quicksilver Software, is an explore-and-conquer colony simulator with historical detail. Playable as solo or networked as a six-player competition, it focuses on the empire builders of England, Spain, France, Portugal, and Holland, circa 1500. Players embark on their missions with a ship's worth of explorers, colonists, leaders, and footsoldier/calvary units. Management of a fledgling colony involves the construction and maintenance of individual structures such as docks, mines, the all-important tavern, and, of course, the local church (complete with a fire-and-brimstone pastor and righteous lightning flickering overhead). The colony can be customized to the slightest whim of the player – craft a freemen utopia, disastrous aborted expedition, or strangling, militaristic arm of the Crown overseas. The multiplayer games allow for a wealth of play options, including trade and diplomacy between colonies and the mother country, a customizable world generator, player-to-player messaging, and the research and development of new technologies.
Of course, when all that is modern and civilized proves ineffective there is always the military option. Whereas many empire-building games offer only the most unsatisfying, mathematical methods of resolving physical conflict, Conquest of the New World actually gives the player active influence over military operations, with squad-level combat occurring on a battle grid filled with animated troops that shoot, retreat, scream, and die in various entertaining ways.
The main attraction here is style: the graphics evoke mental images of yellowed, curling nautical maps adorned with ornamental compasses and scripted phrases such as "Here There Be Sarpeants." While more than meaty enough to satisfy the longtime "God-game" player, Conquest of the New World also sports nifty online help features and tutorials, making the game a worthwhile purchase for those new to the simulation experience. Long live the Queen! – or whomever.
Conquest of the New World CD-ROM for PC: US$49.95. Interplay Productions: (800) 468 3775, +1 (714) 553 6678, fax +1 (714) 553 1406, on the Web at www.interplay.com/.
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