The main game is an easy 4-5 star game. The only flaw about it is the very predictable and crappy ai. You can manipulate the ai in many easy ways, and when they attack the third or so time, that will always ever be the strongest attack they send over and over. They never vary strategy, or strength. The same attacks with the same numbers and the same units over and over. Barring that the main, base game is great. Crusader extreme is a different story. I am convinced that most missions are impossible without using exploits of some sort(like the easy and quick stone one) and I'm 100% convinced that unless you go offensive early, you will lose. The key with crusader extreme is to destroy their camps as fast as possible. I played a game once where I focused and build up defense before attacking, and by the time my castle was good, there was a nonstop wave of troops coming from the other side. My defense was (barely) holding them off, but I couldn't break through the wave with any sort of attacking force. Extreme is the same old game, with the same leaders and ai, but camps are provided where various and sometimes random troops spawn nonstop all game. and in the cases of some like slaves or spearmen, the numbers that spawn are large. It's much less fun and more of an exercise of pain. Likely closer a 2-3 star for that one for me. Only so high because sometimes you spawn with camps, and those missions can be interesting and fun, and are a bit more fair I feel. And with it being fair it's more fun.
This is a great game, I played it a lot and have played it recently and still have enjoyed it. It's fairly simple to catch on and understand, and it's not very complex. Build buildings and your people really do the rest and grow themselves. Some hints and tricks I've learned: - When starting, pick a spot away from mountains. It is much more difficult to build there and can make finding suitable places to build harder. - When placing your starting castles, locate each character as far away from each other as possible. You can and do grow quick, and if you don't give yourself growing room, you will quickly run out of space. -Limit the number of Houses you build to 1-2. When you can afford to do so, build an inn. And from then on ONLY build inns. Houses cost money to own, where inns Generate money AND give living space that houses do. - watch your vault and gold limit carefully. It is very easy to quickly max, and if you do you lose any generated income from then on. If need be, build a quick expensive upgrade or save rocks for a later date to save on doing so. - The best sources of money = INNS and Farms(trees for elfs). When you are able - Building trading posts - LOTS of them. Eventually every non winter season you could be generating more cash than you can use. - When destroying an enemy castle, be cautious. When you do, every remaining enemy loyal will instantly move and make a beeline toward your castle, killing everything it can in it's path. So be ready for that. Now the negatives. - It's too easy. Enemy AI is nonexistent. On occasion an enemy will wander toward your city and 'attack' but such attacks are few and easily repulsed. Aside from that, you could have 100 enemies in each wave and not be strained. - "too many constructions" when you get rich you are limited to building so many things at once, and once you reach that.. you just have to wait. it gets frustrating and annoying, quickly. All in all a recommended game!
