Warhammer: Shadow of the Horned Rat

Shadow of the Horned Rat was the first video game set in the main Warhammer Fantasy world, and actually set out to replicate the board game itself (albeit in a real time format). The fact that it replicated the board game so well was and remains the overarching reason why this is an essential purchase for anyone with even the most remote interest in Warhammer Fantasy. The core gameplay should be familiar to those who have played the tabletop game. Before each mission you choose which of your units you are going to take with you, which due to the difficulty (more on that later) is a genuinely difficult choice. You then place your units before getting down to some fighting. As noted above, the battles are real time and not turn based, but the pace of the battles is sufficiently slow that you have plenty of time to make the tactical decisions that you would make during the tabletop game. And indeed, getting your tactics right is essential, because the game is very difficult. I'm sure that would turn many people away, but personally I always found that the difficulty level made things so much more satisfying when you get them right, so I struggle to rate it is a negative. Possibly the best feature of the game, though, is that these battles are all tied together in an epic campaign, which stretches out in a way that you always wanted your tabletop games to, but they never somehow never did. The player is faced with regular decisions as to which path to take, with genuine risks and rewards at each turn. By the end, if you make it that far, you'll have an army which genuinely feels like its yours, and that level of immersion always has been rarer than it should be with strategy games. Ultimately, it's not a perfect game, but it's one that captures the spirit of the tabletop game like few others have since. It's also aged well enough that despite its dated look, the features that make the game so compelling still shine bright. On that basis, I can only recommend it.

Crashes at the Prepare for Battle Screen. Every. Single. Time.

I got this game in 1997 when i was 10. Played it for hours and years until it was finnaly complete. The first game i ever completed by myself without the use of internet. I love it so much and i would recommend it to people that like challenges. Because this is a challenging game, the hardest i ever played. But the satisfied feeling when a battle is over and you hear the words ''mission complete'', you will start crying tears of joy :') If you like challenging, time-consuming games with great plot, i highly recommend this. Graphics may be slightly outdated, but the great, squad-based gameplay make up for it. I know this sounds biased by nostalgia, but this is such a great game and you need to play it now! :D

I really wanted to play it, but as many dont past from loading the first mission.

Saw some reviews saying this won't work for them. I'm using windows 8 and not had a single problem, game plays exactly as i remember is still rock hard but incredibly addictive. I remember it having a skirmish mode though but possibly confusing my games. The campaign is great however. Clocked 7 hours since released on GOG, no crashes. Amazed how solid the gameplay still feels i loved this game years ago and it stood the test of time.