Real time strategy games like Battle Realms are not new. I expected this to be very much like Age of Empires, and it was. You begin with some land a handful of "peasants" to help you build and create an army. There are four clans: Wolf, Dragon, Serpent and Lotus. They each have their own strengths and abilities. 

To create a good army, you must use your peasants to build structures (huts, dojos, etc) and to train to be skilled fighters. With the appropriate areas, you can train mere peasants to become skilled archers or spearmen. The more powerful and skilled your army, the better you chances of success, and fun. Your peasants require nourishment to work and train. That can be gained through the planting and harvesting of rice-- which needs water to grow (pray for helpful rain showers). So, you must plant crops, get water, build structures, train peasants, feed them...  just to be in a good position to fight a good battle. Speaking of position, the terrain plays a big part of your success--  both in battle and growth. 

"All's fair in love and war"? The main problem with this game was that it became, at times, very unfair. The enemy armies are able to "grow" opponents much faster than you can create warriors. That is an Artificial Intelligence problem. I do not mind a good challenge, but c'mon!! Also, there is a lag and delay in the time from issuing a command, to the time it actually (if ever) gets executed. You tell your warrior to go to a place and make a stand, but by the time he gets there, it may be too late. One of the saving aspects is the ability for your armies to attack on their own, without always having to force them into engagement. That saves some serious right-clicking. 

This game ran very well on my system, despite barely having more than the minimum requirements (cpu speed). That was a pleasant surprise. Installation was a breeze, but did require a restart. The game loads faster than some of this genre, which is another plus-- when I am itching to test my battle skills.

The look and feel of the game are very nice. Bright colors, and the terrain/structures are a step away from the typical Medieval looking buildings of similar games. I did not have any trouble discerning between enemy and peasant warrior when the battles got thick. Another nice surprise vs similar games. 

The sounds were good, but nothing stellar. Good music, and the environmental sounds were clear (you can actually hear the birds chirping and rodents running through the grass). The voice acting was decent. The best sounds come in the heat of battle. The clang of steel weapons is clear and make you want to duck in your chair.   

This is not a bad game, but left me with more than a few undeserved bad experiences. Maybe a later patch can address some delay issues. It's otherwise a solid, interesting game that continues to keep me coming back for more. 

Install: Easy
No problems with this installation. It did not take too long from start to finish. Had to reboot at one point-- as part of the installation.

Gameplay: 8
The gameplay is good. The learning phase is easy, but the battles get unfair and sometimes one sided-- despite your skill or strategy.

Graphics: 9
Very nice looking. Despite barely having more than the minimum system requirements, it ran with no glitches on my system. I was pleasantly surprised.  

Sound: 8
Nothing sensational, but solid and effective to set the mood for game play.

Difficulty: 9
This is a challenging game. It has a sharply increasing difficulty curve. 

Concept: 7 
Real time strategy games are nothing new, but this one is a lot of fun. Similar to the Age of Empires series. 

Multiplayer: 7.5
Did not get to experience this very much. Can be played over the Internet (Up to 8 players). 

Overall: 8
This is a very good game. It's sleek, smooth and a challenge to play. The game is good, but it will make you work very hard-- sometimes for nothing.