This is by far the best turn based tactical game set in the Ancient times. A wide range of armies and various levels of military technologies are modeled. The game provied historical battles, campaigns, generated conflicts, random battles, has a simple, yet efficient play by email multiplayer option and the best of all, a proper, simple Hot Seat. I can re-play the greatest or sometimes most obscure moments of Ancient history with my son.
I just bought the game in a bundle, and hadn't seen the rough start of it, just heard about it. So my review is based upon the actual, available version, with the new UI. I played with Rome and Carthage so far, and especially the latter playthrough was extremely enjoyable and fun. Previously I had played Victoria 1-2, Rome SPQR, Crusader Kinds 1-2 and EU3 from Paradox, and this title is equally great. Compared to other their games, I think Imperator Rome's mission system is very story-rich and drives the game. Also, the POPs (like in Victoria games) are detailed, realistic and provide ways of dealing with cultural or political issues. The military system is more advanced compared to Rome SPQR, just look at legion management. The music, the visals are also good. I cannot comment much on monuments yet, just built two for Carthage. There is still a lot to discover there. Besides the mission system, I think the political simulation and the various factions are nicely modelled. In terms of religion, I found it interesting to adopt new gods. The tech tree is just 4/5 from me, sometimes it's hard to find what I'm looking for, despite the textual filter. The military traditions are welcome additions, I like that you can mix them. Overall, I don't know how the game performed on release, but now, in this form, it's great.
