Man of War II

Full Speed Ahead

Ever since the ancient Phoenicians fended off Greek access to lands west of Gibraltar, men have fought wars using wooden ships. By the mid-19th century, with the introduction of ironclads in the American Civil War, their heyday was over; but the romance of the Age of Sail has never diminished. Is this your dream-to captain a vessel, sink your enemies, move up the chain of command and conclude, covered in honors, as admiral of the fleet? If so, Man of War II is for you.

The single greatest difference between MOW II and its predecessor of a year-and-a-half ago is that the new version occurs in real-time. No more plotting your moves in turn-based mode, watching events subsequently unfold as a silent spectator who cannot affect the action. Now you'll see other ships sail by as you walk the deck of your own; and shoot straight at your vessel, if they're the enemy. You'll be able to adjust ship direction, sails, and fire on-the-fly. You can optionally pause the game while switching to a strategic overhead view, but let's face it: only landlubbers do that.

In another major departure from the game's previous version, MOW II isn't admiral-level-only. A new character in the Wooden Walls of England campaign begins as a Captain in charge of a single vessel, taking orders from a Division Commander. Successful conclusion of the campaign will restart it with you in the role of Division Commander, giving orders to Captains, and accepting orders from your Admiral. If you achieve victory again, you become the Admiral, ordering your entire fleet in a campaign rerun. Just to make things interesting, each campaign run-through offers a few different scenarios, for a grant total of thirty-two in all. (You can also play any of the individual campaign scenarios at any level you choose, though this isn't recorded under your character name, and you receive no medals.)

The game also supplies an introductory campaign of six scenarios, in which you are challenged to repeat the legendary Captain John Paul Jones' victories. Strategy First is planning to upload further captain-level campaigns shortly for MOW II owners, along with a patch for their buggy scenario editor. (It usually works well but occasionally seems unable to load previously player-generated scenarios.)

I was pleased with the diversity of options in MOW II-the variety of shot, sail states, battle formations, fleet orders and cannon aiming (enemy hulls, decks, sails, guns). The interface and command set are relatively easy to use; but if they seem intimidating at first, try passing control of your ship to the AI-driven Second-in-Command. It will prioritize crew activities, navigate, and fire guns. This assistant handles its tasks extremely well.

So does MOW II's AI-commanded enemy. You'll have a hard time against it in the later scenarios, when the odds are stacked in favor of your foes, with bigger ships and more guns. Alternatively, you can take on human opponents in two-player serial/null modem duels, or engage up to thirty-one other players, each with a ship, on a LAN or via the Internet.

There is one major cloud looming on MOW II's horizon-or more specifically, that cloud is the horizon, a 256-color one. While 256-color graphics can still do some things very well, the display of geographical features viewed in first person perspective aren't among them. The broad, subtle expanse of sky and water that surround your flagship demands 16-bit color to make its point; so does the ship, itself; and these are just what MOW II lacks.

I can tolerate the poor color and texture choices, however, because of the game's richness. MOW II is deceptively easy to play, surprisingly realistic in its detail, and highly addictive. Don't miss this one.

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