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Stronghold 2 Review - PC

Stronghold 2 is mainly about customization. The enhanced graphics engine finally allows Stronghold fans to enjoy a 3D experience like no other, and without a doubt, Stronghold fans will embrace all the new additions to the game that it's predecessor lacked. But, something is definitely wrong with Stronghold 2. Is it the fairly average singleplayer campaign? Or is it the rather average AI? Or could it just be that creating a castle has become more devious than fun? Find out in our full review of Stronghold 2.

Gameplay

Lock the gates, there's another medieval war game coming your way! Stronghold is a well known strategy game that has come a long way over the years as a reputable title, and now along comes it's new Padawan, Stronghold 2. Can this new young apprentice live up to the hype of it's predecessor? Only time will tell, but one thing's for sure, Stronghold 2 is a solid castle-building game at least. Build, Battle, Become a King are the words on the back of the box which best describe what Firefly want you to do in Stronghold 2, with the 3rd 'B' of course taking the longest.

Opening the manual, you'll soon see just how much Stronghold 2 has to offer with dozens of buildings and designs to master as you work your way through the game. Creating a castle, building walls, gates, secret passageways, and maintaining your entire community has never been more realistic than Stronghold 2, but the only problem is that you have to overlook ALL of the duties. A king is supposed to sit on his lazy arse eating cherries, drinking wine, and ordering his servants and Imperial guards to do all the planning and behind-the-scenes work, however in Stronghold 2 you must do absolutely everything, and therefore it seems the game is a little bit of an overload.

When beginning campaign mode, you choose to walk the Path of War or the Path of Peace. War will place you in the midst of a medieval wartime where everybodies only interests are to seek and destroy anything moving that isn't branded one of their own, and the main aim of victory is to build and sustain the largest army possible. The Path of Peace is more economizing, and will put you in-charge of building and sustaining a nice happy community, keeping all the peasants happy, similar to maintaining a house in The Sims 2. The peasants let you know whether they're happy or not, and what they could use to be happier, however there is a downside to this. Nearly as soon as they become slightly hungry or slightly miserable, they decided to pack up shop and bail out of your castle, taking some of your stock as they go. Everyone tries to steal everything, and the community really doesn't work very well throughout the game.

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