Golden age for Victoria

When they finally reached the game's 1815 end date, Europa Universalis II players probably wondered how their empire-building skills would have fared in the Victorian era. The new strategy game from EU developer Paradox and publisher Strategy First, which went gold today, will soon answer that question.

Appropriately titled Victoria - Empire Under the Sun, the game puts players in the throne of a monarch in the early 19th century and tasks them with building an empire that can survive into the 20th century. Like Europa Universalis, upon whose engine Victoria is based, the game offers up a smorgasbord of historical conflict for gamers to sample, including the Crimean, Zulu, and American Civil Wars.

Victoria also features an era-specific technology tree that includes 19th century inventions like the ironclads and Gatling guns, as well as political options like parliamentarian democracy and absolute monarchy. The game also features a scenario editor and multiplayer support for up to 32 participants.

Victoria - Empire Under the Sun is set to march into stores November 18. The MSRP is $39.99.