Solid expansion pack to a decent historical sim
The Empire Earth games form a long running series of real-time historical strategy sims that bear more than a passing resemblance to the likes of Age of Empires and Command and Conquer. While they are decent enough games in their own right, they lack any particular spark that makes them stand out and this is especially true of this expansion pack to the original Empire Earth. If you've ever played Age of Empires, you will be right at home here, and the gameplay is a familiar mix of building settlements, gathering resources, recruiting warriors and engaging in battle, all against the backdrop of a series of historical campaigns. This add-on includes new campaigns set in Ancient Rome, the Pacific during WWII and also ventures into the future with one in Asia in the 24th century, while other new elements include new special powers for existing civilisations and a new epoch to explore. Besides the campaigns themselves, this is perhaps the most interesting addition as it allows spaceships, ports and robots to be built and which add a few slightly more unusual options to be taken. Other than this though, Art of Conquest is pretty much a standard add-on pack which doesn't disgrace the original but which is far from an essential experience. The graphics, sound and interface are of course identical and although there are minor changes to things like difficulty levels, most players are unlikely to notice any significant advances. The new campaigns are certainly enjoyable enough and provide some neat narrative based scenarios, so if you are a dedicated Empire Earth fan looking to expand your favourite game, this is a safe bet. Others need not apply but are advised to check out Empire Earth II which is the best in the series.
