Medieval II is one of the best strategy games ever made with massive tactical battles and an immersive campaign.
The campaign can be as long or short as you want offering both options to victory. Perhaps you only want the English to crush the Scots and the French or you want to dominate the whole world. Both can definitely be done. The short campaign involves faction-specific goals like crushing a nearby faction or conquering a few more regions. The long campaign is involves much more: many regions and some distant city reached via crusade or conquest. Of course if that isn't enough, you can always play till you have more or less conquered everything from Florida to the Caspian.
The campaign offers many ways to achieve dominance for your faction allowing you to use religion to cause unrest, pave the way to the Papacy, or start crusades or jihads to conqueror distant lands; diplomacy to enter into alliance, promote trade or bribe enemies to your banner; as well as spies and assassins to infiltrate and remove treats to your realm. Within your borders a diverse selection of buildings allows you to become a financial powerhouse, a technologically superior, or just a defensive turtle Of course armies both on land and sea play a major part in any campaign. Sadly the is no naval combat. The land battles however don't involve base-building or unit production giving you nothing but immersive and demanding tactical engagements you wish would never end but once they do you are rewarded with victory music and a chance to catch your breath before the next battle.
Medieval II offers every strategy gamers dream of tactical options, an enormous and immersive campaign with a medieval touch.