In 1337, England’s King Edward III contested the legitimacy of Philip VI’s ascension to the throne of France. Edward thought that through his parentage he had a rightful claim to that throne. Words were exchanged and hostilities broke out.

The war – and yes, there were lulls and temporary peace treaties – lasted until 1451 and was named The Hundred Years War.

From 1455 to 1487, the House of Lancaster (represented by a red rose) and House of York (the emblem was a white rose) fought a series of civil wars. The conflict was known as the War of the Roses.

These two conflicts are at the core of the PC release of Two Thrones from Paradox and Strategy First. While the time frame was a robust study in strategy and futility, Two Thrones relegates it to an average real-time strategy experience that is familiar and average.

The game comes with five built-in scenarios. Three trace events during the 100 Years War, and are dated 1337, 1369 and 1420, and the other two are from the War of the Roses in 1453 and 1470. Eight countries and provinces are represented and the game comes with five difficulty settings and five settings for the AI to offer a nice set of challenge levels.

Each province sports icons, which represent the various interests of the territory. There are churches, farms, castles and the like and players are tasked with developing a strong economy and military with political decisions thrown in for good measure. But while you are juggling those areas, you are also tasked with balancing the interests of church and state. Recruiting soldiers, raising taxes, training knights, engaging in sea battles are just a few of the game’s features.

Will you seek to unite two kingdoms through the union of marriage, or use the force of your military machine to forge a peace through fear? Those choices are inherent in this title.

In the single-player game, you pick a scenario and side, and then are swept into the area. Click on an icon to bring up a pop-up window with choices you can make for that particular unit. Off-shore, ships lay in the waters. Going to war is a simple affair. Click on your ship and then select the target. The ships are shown as fleets and battles can last over days with the attrition rate popping up as you hover the mouse cursor over the ships. When one side gets low enough, victory will be declared.

But don’t sit idly by and just watch numbers roll. If you do so, you are likely to be demoted. This game demands that you constantly are in motion, whether in terms of unit movement, or in managing your territories.

The combat is self-actuating. Move one unit to an opposing force, engage and wait. This game does take into account terrain, but rather than allowing players to manipulate certain units with the scope of the battle, each force is represented by a single icon.

This makes the title more about preparation for war, and making a strong foundation for a battle with your territories than it is about the strategic, evolving elements of a war.

The controls are simple and easy to understand and anyone who has played this style of game before should be able to leap into it with little trouble. Graphically this game is rather simple, and the animation is dated. The sound follows suit.

Two Thrones is not overly complex in terms of overall gameplay. It is geared for novices to the genre and will provide a light challenge to veterans. Consider this merely an average title.

This game is rated for Everyone.
 

Gameplay: 6.8

This aspect was somewhat disappointing. Two prime periods were selected for representation and then the game mires the time frame down in conventional RTS game play.

Graphics: 6.8

Nothing extraordinary here. The animation is simple and the game plays like an animated version of Risk with a touch more intrigue.

Sound: 6.5

This is all pretty standard stuff. It supports the graphics, but little else.

Difficulty: Easy/Medium

The game sports five difficulty settings and five AI settings for a customizable gaming experience.

Concept: 7

This was an intriguing period in history, but this title relegates it to a rapidly moving RTS that does little to stand out from the rest of the crowd. That the game is easy to access and play is a plus.

Multiplayer: 7

The game is supported through LAN, Internet and Valkyrie.net connects for head-to-head competition with up to six players.

Overall: 6.9

This is an average title that takes an interesting time frame and relegates to the typical RTS mode. Still, there are some pluses, such as being able to control individual elements of the provinces to help gear up for a major campaign. In the long run, Two Thrones may be a fine introduction to the genre to those unfamiliar with RTS games. It has solid difficulty customization that should allow players to tailor the experience. For the veteran RTS gamer, there is little new here that will intrigue.