They were once nearly destroyed, but the Mountain Clans have reunited their tribes. And worse, they are seeking to recall an ancient ritual that will let them communicate with their god. If this comes to pass, be prepared to listen to the songs of the drums of war.

Well, certainly there will be a war, there must be or the whole precept of Disciples II: Guardians of the Light will be completely out the window. Disciples II: Guardians is a stand-alone expansion to Disciples II: Dark Prophecy. The game, from Strategy First, is a turn-based strategy game, featuring lush colorful graphics and gameplay that is somewhat intuitive for those who have played this type of game before.

But those who have not may find this game has a bit of a learning curve. The in-game tutorial is not really a walk-through of the game features, and the scrap of a manual that accompanies this game is little more than a cursory overview of the concepts of the game.

But if a newcomer to the genre or the title, and you can get past all that, you will find a game that is enjoyable to play. The game uses point-and-click controls, and has many streamlined features that can offer a quicker gaming experience that previously rendered. For example, in the Dark Prophecy, players had to work through the combat screen, ordering units into the combat. Guardians offers a quick resolution to the combat. A button allows the computer to quickly resolve the issue.

Other features of Guardians include two new high-level mini campaigns (this in addition to the full array of campaigns featured in Dark Prophecy), 15 skirmish/multiplayer maps, new capital backgrounds and theme music, three new characters, improved computer AI with a smoother user interface, and background game information including original concept art.

This is indeed a wealth of new material and it makes the trip into these lands quite enjoyable.

The game’s core elements are similar to many other RTS products. But some of the micro-management has been taken away. For example, you do not have to order units to mine resources, but you do have to control the areas in which certain resources are found. You free a unit that can move about the map and plant staffs to claim areas for your faction.

Graphically, this game is quite wonderful to look at. The landscapes are lush and rich, and while the actual movement-phase animation is a little jerky, the combat sequences are solid. Disciples II: Guardians is not the type of game that will stun players with animation, but rather will delight with the richness of the graphical quality.

The sound elements are also very good, but are, by no means, outstanding of their own right. They do a good job of supporting the graphics and the musical score nicely sets the mood for the game.

There is little doubt that Guardians offers more than the original program did. But this is a game that may not contain enough to draw owners of Dark Prophecy. The new campaigns are not overly large in scope and don’t really add significant gameplay to the overall product base. The game itself has been tweaked a bit, but if you have Dark Prophecy, these addendums are not likely to re-invent the wheel, so to speak.

However, for those that have not played Dark Prophecy, despite that this game does little to ease you into the game by way of a thorough tutorial or in-depth manual, this is a very good turn-based game. The storyline is a little staid, but the overall gameplay is well done.

This game is rated Teen for mild violence.

Gameplay: 8.4
Little has changed from Dark Prophecy, and this is a turn-based game. You move and can enter combat, or enter the cities you control and spend the resources you accrue during the course of a turn (which is a day in the realm) to build up your city, research spells or train units. Combat can either be manipulated or you can go to the quick auto-resolve feature.

Graphics: 8.7
The environments are lush and rich. The animations have not changed that much, thus they have not evolved with the technology. This is still a wonderful game to look at though.

Sound: 7.5
The musical score has been altered, but the combat sounds and other audio aspects of the title seem to have stayed the same.

Difficulty: Medium
This is a game that will require thought. You cannot easily undo your movement, and because of the range of the units, if you get an army too far away, or leave too few behind in defense, that can spell big trouble. The AI seems solid but it all seems predicated on pre-designed conditions rather than an evolving chess-like strategy.

Concept: 8
First, this is an expansion - meaning that the general gameplay is essentially the same. The new features are a nice addition to the game though.

Multiplayer: 8
Four-way chess would be similar to this game, which can host up to four players vying for control on the rich tableau of the landscape.

Overall: 8.4
The game’s brusque tutorial, and lack of a solid manual is definitely not that friendly to a new players. But this is still a solid turn-based game, ripe with options and with wonderful graphical elements. Players who delved into Disciples II: Dark Prophecy may find the game rounded out a bit more, but the games big draw will likely be those who have not played Dark Prophecy. In that regard, this a good news/bad news scenario. The good news being that this is a very good turn-based strategy game. The bad news is that you have take to invest about 40 minutes to get a handle on the game’s structure.