Leading one of over 50 possible nations in three different ages, it is your goal to ascend to true godhood using all the power at your disposal. In a world of magic and steel the options to attain victory are as numerous as the cries of mercy from your vanquished foes. Whether you use military might, eldritch power, or subterfuge (or more likely, a combination of all three) every turn is about options. Recruit troops (more than 1,500 units found in the game), assassinate the enemy, scout territory, research magic (600+ spells and 300+ magic items), perform rituals, do a blood hunt, storm a castle, construct, pray, forge - the list goes on. 

In one turn a player may perform various tasks such as: recruit, research, empowerment, forge, rituals, magic battles, search, prayers, blood hunt, luck, assassinations, friendly movement, movement, storm castle, enchantments, magic items, sneak, build, special orders, income, starvation, upkeep, dominion, site effects, heal, mercs, and scouting.

Three different eras: Early Magical Era, Middle Era, and Late Era. The Early Magical Era boasts many new nations, the Middle Era features most of the nations from Dominions 2, and the Late Era features an emphasis on more conventional warfare and less magic.

There are 50 different playable nations. Some of the new nations include Ermor, New Faith, based on the early Republic of Rome; Marverni, inspired by Gallic tribes; Kailasa, Rise of the Ape Kings, inspired from Indian and Hindu mythology; Jomon, Human Daimyos, born from ancient Japan.

Now I admittedly am not a real TBS type of gamer so take my review with a grain of salt. I did believe D3 to be a pretty solid game with loads of content. There are so many variables that can determine how one succeeds in the game that I feel it would be near impossible to duplicate a game. There are plenty of random generators like maps and AI not to mention the random dice generator for attacks and the like.

This game was also developed with modding in mind. This will allow players to even customize the game even further. 

The manual is almost essential for a jump-start in playing the game. When you go through the tutorial, it is needed to guide the player in how the game is played. There are some 300 or so pages of information that will have even the most advanced player thumbing through to become more proficient. I rarely even open up a manual unless I get stuck on a game but this time I found it to be as useful of a tool for playing the game as owning a computer to play it on. It is apparent that a lot of thought and time went into the creation of such an important tool and I highly recommend browsing through it at least once. You will be happy you did.

I have not played any games in the Dominion series, but from what I have learned this is one of the better TBS games on the market. The third installment has made micro-managing much easier and has simplified gameplay with an easier user-friendly interface. Players have the ability to design and save gods for later use and the choice of customizing and modifying maps to create a unique game. The AI has been tweaked to provide even more realism than previous versions. If that’s not enough you can play with other human opponents with the multiplayer option. Though D3 carries a $50 price tag, most fans will find enough game here to warrant the price.

Gameplay: 8.5
The learning curve for this game is quite steep; however the manual does provide a very good explanation of how the game is played and what to do to be successful. Then again there are nearly 300 pages of reading material so those new to the game will find this title to be a bit cumbersome. Though the manual provides everything you need to become a great player. Once you learn the basic keyboard commands and user interface it does get easier. The tutorial is played along with the manual so to be sure to keep it close at hand.

Graphics: 7.0
Considering the scope of the game, the graphics are not too terrible. You can certainly differentiate between units to determine who is who. Keep in mind that you can control more than 1,500 units at a time, which would be CPU overload if each unit held a lot of detail. That being said, though this title may not possess jaw-dropping graphics, it certainly has plenty too see to make the game enjoyable.

Sound: 8.0
The musical score was absolutely great with a medieval flare. You can toggle off the music if you do not feel the same.

Difficulty: Hard
If you are new to the Dominions line of TBS games, most will find this title to be very difficult to play. Admittedly I am not a real fan of TBS games, and I had some difficulty just with learning the game. Those of you who live for this type of gaming will most likely find a bit more ease in playing. You can toggle the difficulty settings to make the game as challenging as you like once you learn how to play.  

Concept: 9.0
Turn-based strategy games are limited in number, but this title has a depth that I have not seen in many games.

Multiplayer: 9.0
Up to 21 players can play at one time providing a multiplayer experience like no other

Overall: 9.0
For those TBS fans out there this will most likely be one of the best games out there. Though it carries a hefty MSRP of about 50 bucks, It is very unlikely that any game will be exactly the same. There is just too much content for that. A game that welcomes customizations rarely collects much dust.