Widely regarded as the worst installment of the HoMM series, I thought I would at least give it a try seeting how much I love HoMM2 and HoMM3. This game is overly complicated and frustrating, I'll give the developers credit for a creative departure from previous installements in the series. However, the end result is removing some of the best elements of HoMM3 and adding in new elements, most of which don't work, and don't work together. Not even worth a look. Just skip it.
Really just an Age of Empires replica with a different skin and a few new twists. The storyline is bland. For Star Wars fans it is worth a play, as one of many expressions of the Star Wars universe of media. Little replay value.
I've been gaming for 36 years and among hundreds of games I've played this one has the best replay value, in the top 3 for algorithms, top 12 for soundtrack, and excellent balance of tachtics and strategy. I have probably logged over 2000-3000 hours total since I started playing it in 1995. User-generated maps available for download. Impressive computer intelligence for its era. Every time I feel like I have mastered the game I find some new angle to develop and explore. There is also considerable replay value in random map generation set on the hardest difficulty.
Multipe fan improvements make gameplay much smoother. New creatures are balanced. I also enjoy the difficulty. HIghly recommend for any HOMM fan.
