In need of time killing, I ventured into the local Best buy looking for something to spend my newly acquired gift certificate on. At first glance this particular game caught my eye in the computer software department. I found the box artwork interesting, which in turn made me pick up and read the box.

About the Game

the castle-sim and siege-warfare RTS sequel Stronghold 2 at last brings the series to life in full 3D. The King, having fled after the defeat of his armies, now attempts to rule his country from a secret location. It is not known if he is even in the country anymore. Now, powerful barons jostle for what is fast becoming a disintegrating kingdom.

It is up to you (the player) to stem the tides of their ambition and unite the land under the King once again. Expand your lands while you build and fortify your citadel. Entertain with jousts, lavish feasts and tournaments to build your fame and honor, or rule with an iron fist and dispense medieval justice to your overworked and slovenly peasants

Introduction

After launching the game again, I was treated to a very nicely done opening movie. It's easy to tell that the developers have put a ton of effort and time into making the initial presentation of the introduction a very pleasing & enjoyable experience. Of course, this isn't without a price! Launching the game takes several minutes to load the initial menu. It really does take an almost unacceptable amount of time to get to the main menu. (A Bit Frustrating)

Peace or War?

Stronghold 2 has two main campaigns: one that focuses on combat, and the other that (supposedly) focuses on "peace" and just lets you worry about running a city. The "Peace" campaign really is anything but -- several missions force you to fight off wave of bandits that can wreak havoc on your lands. Four or five missions into the peace campaign you have to assault an enemy thief-lord's stronghold. It's all together not very peaceful. However it does train you in sort of a tutorial way of how to run and successfully set up your castle to be both thriving and economic.


Battles & Sieges

Stronghold 2 is also about fighting and especially taking part in large castle sieges, and it's here where things fall apart. First off, there are major, major performance issues. Castle sieges are nearly unplayable because the game freezes and locks up with a lot of units on the screen. It's as if the game was being played online and you are hit with a mega-shot of lag in the middle of a critical battle sequence. There's no excuse for a game to run so poorly on a 2.0 GHz machine with about a GB of RAM and a 64MB video card. It's a shame it runs so sluggishly, because watching a huge castle siege is very impressive as catapults lob balls of fire and castle walls explode into bits, however the "lag" can be unbearable during these all battle scenes.

Combat issues

Units tend to walk through other units and the AI (Artificial Intelligence) has no idea what it's doing while attacking or defending the castle. It's not vital to play against a ruthless computer opponent but it's highly annoying to face one that has no idea how to siege a castle.

Clipping & Lagging issues also plague the game. Maybe it's a result of the switch from 2D to 3D, but whatever the reason, it's a big problem that needs to be fixed! Nothing is more infuriating than to see enemy troops literally walk through your castle gate? Units don't walk through every section of a castle but it happens often enough to be noticeable; in the end, it makes castle fighting pointless.

Graphics

Visually, the game is mediocre. The graphics would be considered high quality for games from two or three years ago, but given the current crop of quality visuals in other games, Stronghold 2 just doesn't measure up. Of course, graphics aren't everything, and it does manage to come up with some fairly realistic feeling terrains and units, even if the buildings feel a little hacked. I believe that the designers went for a "pretty good" overall appearance for the game without sacrificing the game play itself.

Sound

The music is also of good quality, quietly offsetting the current game play relatively well. I wouldn't call it superb, but it does a decent enough job and helps to add to the experience of playing. It has decent enough variety that your ears aren't offended by the same tune over and over. Also the tunes are somewhat of a renaissance era if you’re into that type of music.

Multiplayer Mode

This is also available for people who want to go online and find out just how good they are. There don't seem to be very many people online at any of the times I tried, and I had some difficulties getting into a game to play with connection and setup.


Custom Map Editor

Stronghold 2 also comes bundled with a rich editor that allows you to construct all sorts of scenarios, maps, events, and storylines. It took a little bit of time to get used to, especially unit placement, but overall it's a very complete editor that enables designers to create content for the game with relative ease.

Overall

The game manages to provide an engaging combination of simulated medieval warfare and peasant life without getting too lost in the mundane details that can easily wreak havoc on such a title. The game is rather playable, decent enough to look at and listen to, lots of fun, and definitely worth a shot if you're a fan of the genre and period.

System Requirements

OS : Windows 98SE/ME/2000/XP
CPU :1.4 GHz
RAM :256 MB
Graphics : 32Mb (Geforce2 MX upwards)
DirectX : 9.0c
Disk Space : 2.5 GB

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Recommended: Yes