50 of 52 customers found the following review helpful:
 An RTS game with style is still an RTS game, 2003-04-11
Praetorians is a real-time strategy game in which you command companies of troops (Romans, Gauls, Egyptians) rather than individual units and it concentrates on battle with almost no resource gathering (you must "recruit" troops from captured villages.)There's plenty of cool stuff like legionaries that can form the Roman shield wall ("testudo"), birds that fly out of forests alerting you of approaching enemy troops, ambushes in grasslands, desert battlefields, elevation effects, 3D graphics (with a limited camera angle though), scouts with hawk/wolf spotters, catapults, ballista, axe-throwing Gaul infantry, Nubian archers, Balearic slingers, camel archers,etc. However, as much as I'm enjoying both the campaign and skirmish mode, I have to point out this is not a wargame. There is little time (in the skirmish mode particularly) for thoughtful maneuvering: you must attack at once! It's fun, but I never feel as though I was really a general or consul or whatever the term is. It's still RTS and if you're enjoying watching your archers shoot down a Gaul warrior company from the safety of a hill, you're probably wasting valuable clicking time. This is not Medieval: Total War in which you can maneuver companies like a general. It's a bit closer in spirit to Empire Earth or Age of Empires in combat terms - only here you fight with companies rather than mobs of men. I'm really enjoying it for lighthearted quick gameplay, but I wish it were a little less frantic, a little less like Age of Empires and a little more like Medieval: Total War. The skirmish mode is fun (unfortunately we get only about 20 different maps), multiplayer could be cool (haven't got my friend to buy it yet), and the campaign is decent (only played 5 missions so far). The AI appears to be strong and doesn't seem to cheat by unfairly building faster or by being able to see all your troop locations. It may appear that way but I've saved the games and watched the replays and it just seems to play better (than me anyway). It organized its units better, captured more villages, recruited more troops, scouted intensively (and didn't notice when I captured a village unless its scouts saw me - it's troops marched past out of sight). (I think it's a bit harsh of one reviewer to say this game is only for kids or newcomers to RTS games. If you realize that Praetorians is not trying to be a realistic wargame but rather a light-hearted RTS then you're more likely to enjoy the game on its terms.)
3 of 5 customers found the following review helpful:
This is possibly one of the best games I have played, 2003-04-03
I have played a lot of strategy games and i have to say that I think Praetorians is the best. You dont have to worry about recourses or anything like that. You worry about troops and strategy. For the person who said it takes no strategy and this game is for beginners you have to be playing a different game. You cant just train massive armies and throw them into battle and win. You have to use strategy. Each troop has a flaw and you need to take advantage of them. If I were you, BUY THIS GAME!!
4 of 6 customers found the following review helpful:
 LOTS OF FIGHT NO MICRO MANAGING, 2003-03-24
The game takes place during the time of Julius Caesars campaigns
in Gaul Egypt and the empire itself Italy.The part I liked about this game is no worrying about money farming or keeping everybody happy.You just rise an army fight it out and hope you win.The animation is smooth and detailed and you get a fold out
of the units characteristics.The only gripe I have is in the
campaign you only play the Romans.
8 of 18 customers found the following review helpful:
 A Rookie Game, 2003-03-22
Everyone knows that a good strategy game involves somewhat of a steep learning curve and an advanced difficulty level. This game is simply a click and attack real time strategy that does not involve any heavy thinking. In fewer words it's the bunnie slope for youngsters that are just discovering the thrill of these games. In conclusion I feel the word strategy is innapropriate altogether! True strategy players will want to return the product, rookies will like it because they'll feel moderately challenged by it.
8 of 10 customers found the following review helpful:
One of the best, 2003-03-19
My wife purchased this game for my B-day. So far, I really like the game.
I like playing Warcraft, Starcraft, and C&C series. However, I was getting bored of managing resources (e.g. gold, timber, food)
I was looking for a game with more strategy rather than resource building.
I remember the first time I played Myth and I like the concept of the game. Praetorian is a mixture of Myth and Warcraft. There is less resource managment and more strategy on fighting. Praetorians' graphics, sounds and game play is top notch.
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