Vangelis, Oliver Stone, Colin Farrell. The ingredients for disaster? Maybe, but this game is actually quite good.

User Rating: 7.9 | Alexander PC
Unlike every "professional" review I've read on Websites or in magazines (one gave it a score of 2), I and other gamers as well, see much more in this game than they obviously can. I'll tackle each highlighted aspect by these reviewers as being negative, seperately.
PRESENTATION: "Alexander" ("A") comes with a highly detailed manual, historically flavoured map, and thorough tutorial to get budding conquerors all set to go. You'll need them.
GAMEPLAY: "A" eases the player into what will eventually be highly challenging scenarios, exposing the player to each aspect of the game with helpful hints as you go. The maps are richly detailed, as are your units (if you squint). The Campaign historically follows Alexander's trek through Asia and the Middle East to India, including the large scale battles he fought and is famous for, such as Guagamela and Pella. Here at Pella you can attempt to re-enact Alexander's great gamble when he rode his cavalry to the left flank, hooked inward and charged the Persian centre head on. This bold attack, now seen as a 'brilliant' manouever was unheard of in contemporary warfare, and was not to be repeated for several hundred years. Then it was used by Hannibal Barca when he defeated (massacred) the Romans at Cannae (the long term effect of which finally leading to the slaughter of the Carthaginians at Zama and the total destruction of Carthage in retribution and cold revenge). Ahem, back to "A". You have the troop numbers and the ensuing clash of armies is confusing; but then imagine the view at eye level. The naval aspect (slammed by critics as under-realized) is actually properly presented here. Large navies really would not exist again until Carthage ruled the seas, and the Persian fleet had declined dramatically since its' glory days when it aided Sparta in destroying Athens. It is not a RPG so you don't have to be Colin Farrell (phew), it's all RTS. So really, the movie has only a small bearing on the game itself. Apart from the music, which I'll get to.
GRAPHICS: Serviceable and detailed. May use the "Cossacks" engine, but it leaves that title for dead. The handling of large armies is still a task, but they are quite beautiful to behold. The oceans reflect coastlines, clouds, and ships beautifully, and overall I think they're fine, not ground-breaking, but better than many others.
SOUND: The big complaint from many is the score by Vangelis. Okay, some hate it for its' early '80's synthesized form, but there are many of us out there who remember the scores of "The Bounty", "Bladerunner", "Antarctica", etc with great fondness. This score is no exception. Listen to the track "Young Alexander" if you have the Soundtrack, and you feel the heady rush the soldiers and generals must have felt as they vanquished impossible foes. I think it's great. 'nuff said.
CONCLUSION: "A" is a must for gamers who love their Ancient History, particularly getting to take part in it and trying to best or equal this great man. I cannot think of any way this game could have been improved upon, that would have given more justice to its' subject matter nor made it more 'playable'. As Pharoah Ptolemy says at the end of the film,
"...known as Megos Alexandros. The greatest Alexander of them all." This isn't the greatest period RTS, but it works very hard at trying to come close. And that's what gamers appreciate.