If you have ever found yourself watching TV or flims on ancient history and wondered how wars were not only fought but also planned, this title might shed some light on it. Gone are the jet fighters, cruise missiles, nuclear submarines and the like. Instead this is as about as old school as it gets and after playing Legion Arena I have a new-found respect for what the Romans and other countries experienced while fighting with primitive weapons, and the brutality of hand-to-hand combat. For those that are a bit faint hearted, there is no blood shed in this title. Quite surprising, considering it carries a mature rating. In all honesty its really not needed because the battles are fast and furious and there is not a whole lot of time to admire any graphic details that one might desire.

Between each campaign (and there are a ton) you will get a bit of a scenario whether it be told to in a cinematic type of way or you read a couple of lines to get you up to snuff on what is about to take place and the conditions for victory. When on the battlefield you choose the squads to take into battle and choose their placement. You can even choose how they attack or even pause before charging. This really adds a sense of realism. Can’t say I have seen many movies or history stories where the two sides just ran out to kill each other. You can even call off-the-cuff commands while your troops are on the field to help out another squad. These commands do require points that you have to spend to initiate the order. Once you do that your meter runs down and slowly works its way back up so you can give another order. This can be toggled to play arcade style with no meter, this is an easier way to play, but c’mon where is the fun in that!

After you do well on the battlefield, your squads will earn experience points that you can use to promote your men and choose from new abilities to equip them with. Such things like swordsmanship, stamina, dodge, etc. Most add bonuses to your hitting or evading abilities. Some however do subtract from one ability, in exchange for a better bonus in another, so choose wisely. You will gain Denari from successful battles, which are used to purchase better armor and weapons. You will also use this currency to recruit new warriors to aid you on the field. The more money spent the better the warriors. You will also earn fame points. These to are some times required for recruits, but also used to heal your squads to bring them up to full strength.

Everything is simple to do, and everything is pretty much a click away. I was pleased that playing the game is quite quick and it's nothing to sit down for a half hour or so, play a few battles, equip your men and be done. Everything is quickly saved for you or you can pick and choose when to save if you want to go back and play a battle again. I loved this feature because I never felt that if I started playing I was going to be tied up for hours on end. It just played out that way because the game is highly addictive.

Visually and audibly the game is pretty decent. Nothing earthshaking here, but considering the amount of action going on, I was pleased with the performance. Eye-popping graphics or ear-shattering sound effects are not needed for this genre and really should not be missed. A great musical score accompanies this game and has some really good battle music.

Overall if you have never really been a fan of this genre I urge you to give this one a try. It’s a breeze to play and will have any armchair General screaming Charge!!! There is a multiplayer option available for those who may find this game a bit easy. So for you Veterans out there, go online and let the real battles begin

Gameplay: 8.0
Learning to play is easy even for the greenest of players to this genre. The in-game tutorial not only teaches you how to play, but even offers some hints to a good strategy that will aid you in the first few battles. Though there can be a lot to these type of titles, it was refreshing to play one that you could learn so quickly.

Graphics: 7.0
Pretty average. You can turn up and down the settings to add more detail at the expense of performance. For a game that carries a mature rating, there was no blood. Having blood would have made this game a little more realistic especially how these brutal battles play out.

Sound: 8.0
Good sound effects like clanking of swords, horses racing to the battle, and the screams of men charging into battle add realism to the game. Pretty good musical score to boot!

Difficulty: Medium
The earlier campaigns are a bit easy, which makes learning the game a snap. You will find the later battle require a bit more strategy.

Concept: 8.0
I really enjoyed preparing and carrying out battles on this scale. The RPG element gives players the power to customize your men with bonus characteristics that help them fair in the heat of battle. Promoting your men with the right bonuses and equipment is essential for success on the battlefield.

Multiplayer: N/A
Due to the recent release of the game no one was available for online play at the time of the review. Multiplayer is supported through Gamespy and via LAN

Overall: 8.0
Though I do not play these type of strategy RPG games often, I can honestly say I was pleasantly surprised how easy this game was to learn, and how much fun to play.