Age of Empires: The Age of Kings review

Just who can resist the temptation to be an iconic historical figure from history, killing and pillaging in the name of your country? Not Gamestyle, as The Age of Kings brings another needed dose of strategy to the thriving Nintendo handheld. Time to rewrite the history books in the name of progress.Age of Empires is of course a smash hit on the PC and makes for an unlikely candidate for the handheld market. However it is credit to Digital Eclipse who have done an admirable job scaling down the monstrous epic into a tiny cartridge. Eclipse have somehow managed to keep the core identity of this historical series, whilst grasping the tweaks needed for the dual screens and touch element. With any campaign there has to be casualties, so some options have not made the transition, but the overall experience is more than Gamestyle had anticipated.So what empires are covered in this release? Well, Joan of Arc forms the initial introduction, by providing a hands-on guide to Age of Empires warfare. All the options and abilities are explained over several carefully balanced missions. It must be said that while the difficulty curve is well placed, some of these initial skirmishes may have the player fearing later difficulty levels. As each day passes, missions can run into months - or in real time hours, as you clear your way across a hostile map. After fighting the English you can jump back in time, to another infamous warrior: Genghis Khan. Then, as the difficulty demands more strategic brilliance, you take on the roles of Saladin, Robin Hood and Richard the Lionheart. Each offers a unique supporting cast of armed units that you must judge the potential of, and fully exploit, to the best of your abilities. The opponent AI is disappointing, as it seems to suffer from the same affliction as Scottish First Minister Jack McConnell. No, its not (allegedly) foolish and blundering. Rather more it is very reactionary, and not at all proactive. The AI waits for you to approach enemy positions and units, it never seeks out your forces or goes in for the kill when you are terminally afflicted. This allows you to restore strength and numbers before eventually winning. This flaw or concession as it seems, does still not prevent the odds on many missions being in favour of your opponent. Ensuring when victory comes, it is very sweet indeed.For all of its admirable qualities, for Gamestyle there is not enough variation in the missions offered by The Age of Kings. While we can accept the size of maps and the limitations these may bring, most missions involve defending or seizing a particular settlement. At least each does not simply involve a race against your foe to develop your technology and society, and then turn these advances against your hapless opponent. Missions where you realise there is no option to build or develop your society are far more enjoyable because of this. Additional goals are available for those who merely want to do more than just win, but these are no real reasons to consider repeat visits.The top screen displays the overview of encounters and relevant information on units and buildings. The touch screen supports the game map and allows navigation either by prodding the applicable square or use of the D-pad. Here Gamestyle preferred a combination of both methods, as so many squares are set on a map, these soon become cluttered and wrong units are easily selected. The key to winning turn-based encounters is purely set against health levels, ground occupied and the abilities of each unit. Unfortunately, there is no adoption of the touch screen to enhance your chances of victory. At least you never tire of the repetitive combat sequences onscreen, thanks to the excellent sound effects and accompanying soundtrack. And when frustration or day-to-day life threatens to butt in during an epic battle, Age of Empires can be saved at any time.Multiplayer and scenario modes complement the admirable durability of the main campaign mode. You can take on 3 opponents in a set up similar to the offline scenario mode. Here, you can select the map and opponents you will face, the goals to achieve and any limitations; such as fog, random events and civilisation specials. If anything, this is a vital introduction to the multiplayer mode before going online and making your name as a general.Age of Empires: The Age of Kings is an excellent addition to the Nintendo DS arsenal. While it may lack the charm of Advance Wars and its complete appreciation of the formats unique potential, there is much to overcome, saviour and keep you engaged until the next strategic release arrives.