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- Seven Kingdoms II
Seven Kingdoms II
- November 24, 2000 14:47 PM PST
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Computer games of late have offers lots of opportunities to play bad guys--from Grand Theft Auto to Dungeon Keeper II to Kingpin--but rarely have offered a distinctive methodology for conquest by evil.
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This is just what you get in the real-time strategy universe of Seven Kingdoms II. No longer limited as in the original Seven Kingdoms to playing humans that trade, build, research and battle, you now assume the persona of monstrous, demonic Fryhtans. They can't trade or invoke cultural deities as can their human counterparts, but they can pursue ingenious strategies of nastiness.
In all, you'll find seven Fryhtan tribes in SKII, and each has a unique approach. One tames wild animals. Another constructs buildings that cast paralysis spells on opponents. A third plants acid-spitting forests. All the tribes gain life points by killing humans, and wealth by letting human communities exist in subjugation to nearby Fryhtan enclaves. They can also enslave or bribe other Fryhtans into submission, acquiring a complex empire whose distinctive mix of advantages and disadvantages make for a challenging, broad range of strategies.
This is the most dramatic new feature in SKII, but not the only one. An extended research tree permits you to build and refine several war machines as before, but also to improve production and army combat strengths and develop new spying techniques. Who wouldn't be pleased with the idea of sending a spy into your enemy's Towers of Science to steal technologies, or creating an international incident that led to war between two neighbors?
The isometric graphics for individual buildings and units in SKII are unique to each human race and Fryhtan tribe, providing easy identification at a glance. Each race has its own special strategic advantage, which takes effect after constructing a Seat of Power. For example, the Egyptians receive a higher birth rate, while the Indians become quicker than the competition at research.
Nine scenarios are included with the game, and you can devise your own with SKII's easy-to-use scenario editor. (SKII can also design impressive random worlds to your specs: number and hostility of enemies, mining resources, fog of war, and so forth.)
Also provided is a campaign mode of more than a dozen linked scenarios. However, this attempt to retain non-linearity results in a bland, unmemorable game. While the scenarios and campaigns are for standalone play only, random worlds and player-created scenarios can support from one to six players via LAN, TCP/IP internet connection, serial and modem play. Hookup and network play are seamless.
For the rest, SKII remains, as was the original game, a well-balanced, appealing global domination RTS in a medieval fantasy setting. In fact, my only complaint is that the information screens are a little hard to read and monochromatic.
At this point, do you really need to ask for a recommendation? Pardon me. My human chattels require disciplining.
