A great real time strategy game that gets just a little too hard as you go on.
Game play here is very similar to the Age of Empires series, but with a twist. Instead of buying your villagers for one sum like in most games, you have to constantly feed villagers you get for free. This leads to a large amount of food sources which stabilize your population. Combat in this game is also similar to other real time strategy titles, except for another twist. Instead of paying a one time fee, you have to get villagers to work as weapon smiths and armor makers. After the correct resources have been gathered and taken back to their building, the craftsmen and women then produce equipment. This is sent to your barracks, where you pay gold and equipment to train soldiers from your ragged peasants.
Favor is a key part of this game. If your villagers like you they'll work harder, and let you tax them more. If they don't like you they'll refuse to be taxed and leave the village. Fear factor, ale supply, war, wolves, and a number of other things can effect the way your peasants respond to you.
The audio in this game is impressive. There are probably hundreds of voice overs for almost every type of unit in this game. Even though they are all done by the same person, the things they say can really immerse you in the game - or make you laugh.
Graphics can be a hazard here, but for a real time strategy game on the computer i'd say they are pretty decent. You can cut high structures to see, zoom in on things, change the camera angle, and remove the command bar all at your will.
The military campaign is fun, until you beat the third tyrant. After that, it's non stop chaos that even a tried and tested gamer would have a hard time navigating through. Some of the sieges and invasions are impossible for novice players, so i don't recommend playing missions until you have a good grasp on the game.
Overall, Stronghold is a strategy gamer's delight that will leave you commanding your empire to prosperity for a long time. Congratulations Firefly Studios, Your game gets a solid 8 out of 10. If you need a good strategy game to play in your free time, i recommend picking this game up at your nearest retailer.