Come forth, knights!
A welcome change from the typical real-time strategy game like Command & Conquer or Spellforce, Knights of Honor is a nice blend of the familiar and the new, making it a good choice for someone who's looking for something a little unusual in their RTS. It's a historical game which lets you start out in one of three time periods, with this choice affecting how the overall game develops. You then choose which country you want to be, from the largest to the smallest, and your main goal is then simply to become the most powerful nation. You're in charge of just about every aspect of your country, from choosing heirs and arranging marriages, to building up your armies, sorting out trade between nations, sending out spies and organizing assassinations. Combat, when it occurs, can be controlled directly by the player or handled by the computer, and involves ground troops as well as siege equipment, but if you do take care of it yourself, it's a very satisfying and challenging part of the game. Knights of Honor might not seem all that eye-catching but if you give it a whirl, you'll find a pretty deep and interesting game. Its bland visuals are perhaps its weakest point and although they're serviceable enough, they're not exactly bouncing off the screen with detail. However, most of the other elements are more than up to scratch, with a nice interface that is user-friendly and a lot of variety in the actual gameplay and which should keep you busy for some time. It's perhaps best suited to genre newcomers but in all likelihood, even veterans will have a decent time here.
