Stronghold Warchest

Rating:
Summary: Excellent game.
Review: I bought this game while I was waiting for the release of Lords of the Realm III. I am very glad I made the purchase. This game has provided much entertainment. I really enjoy designing the castles, placing archers and crossbowmen on the walls and towers and placing engineers with pitch pots to shower the enemy with liquid fire. There is also a lot of management and strategy needed to succeed. For example You can only build a large castle with a large supply of stone. I also like the fact that if you dont have one item you could over produce and sell another in order to gain money to buy what you need. I would strongly recomend this game to Medieval strategy game fans. After playing Lords of the Realm III, I am really glad I bought Stonghold Warchest because while Lords of the Realm III sits in my garbage can, Stronghold sits in my PC.

Rating:
Summary: the holy grail of strategy games
Review: I consider myself a strategy game enthusiast, and let me tell you, this title is worth buying for the latest game (Stronghold Crusader) alone. I have spent untold hours playing this game, and still have not gotten through all of the "skirmish trail" battles. One reviewer commented on replayabilty, and while I agree somewhat, this game is so vast, that you will probably be burned out by the end of the campaign mode and skirmish mode scenarios. With custom maps and online play, I believe the replayability level goes up, but never as high as say Master of Orion 2.

As for the game play, the level of detail is incredible. For me what makes this game so special is the varied way you must employ strategy to overcome the challenge of each mission or skirmish. It is almost never the same strategy, and the AI is pretty crafty, I have had to restart many a battle and rethink my approach, b/c it was kicking my butt. Basically where other games fail (e.g., Age of Empires) in their AI, this one seems to always find the chink in your Armor. For instance, the computer lords do not simply sit there outside your walls dumbfounded as to how to get through, they send a massive onslaught of men, siege equipment and all, and you'd better be ready. The computer is even smart enough to pick the least defended area. Also the incredible number of different units, siege weapons, mercenaries, structures, etc., not only adds flavor, but gives you and the computer so many different options as to how to attack and defend. I can't think of anything more fun than setting off an oil pit fire trap and watching an entire army of bad guys running around on fire, screaming bloody murder, or launching a cow carcus at the bad guys. It brings memories of the Holy Grail, "run awaaaaaayy..."

Trust me, if you love strategy, get this one.

Rating:
Summary: Awesome RTS game!
Review: I consider myself a strategy game enthusiast, and let me tell you, this title is worth buying for the latest game (Stronghold Crusader) alone. I have spent untold hours playing this game, and still have not gotten through all of the "skirmish trail" battles. One reviewer commented on replayabilty, and while I agree somewhat, this game is so vast, that you will probably be burned out by the end of the campaign mode and skirmish mode scenarios. With custom maps and online play, I believe the replayability level goes up, but never as high as say Master of Orion 2.

As for the game play, the level of detail is incredible. For me what makes this game so special is the varied way you must employ strategy to overcome the challenge of each mission or skirmish. It is almost never the same strategy, and the AI is pretty crafty, I have had to restart many a battle and rethink my approach, b/c it was kicking my butt. Basically where other games fail (e.g., Age of Empires) in their AI, this one seems to always find the chink in your Armor. For instance, the computer lords do not simply sit there outside your walls dumbfounded as to how to get through, they send a massive onslaught of men, siege equipment and all, and you'd better be ready. The computer is even smart enough to pick the least defended area. Also the incredible number of different units, siege weapons, mercenaries, structures, etc., not only adds flavor, but gives you and the computer so many different options as to how to attack and defend. I can't think of anything more fun than setting off an oil pit fire trap and watching an entire army of bad guys running around on fire, screaming bloody murder, or launching a cow carcus at the bad guys. It brings memories of the Holy Grail, "run awaaaaaayy..."

Trust me, if you love strategy, get this one.

Rating:
Summary: Superb
Review: I first bought Stronghold at the end of 2001 after playing, and instantly loving, the demo. My father and brother also played the demo and felt immediately compelled to buy the game. More recently, the sequel Crusader came out (demo also available), and ups the ante yet further.

This game reminds me in ways of Lords of the Realm II. Stronghold is far more reliant on economy than most RTS games, but this is by no means a shortcoming and the economy is not unwieldly in the least. The game truly is a gem and among a very small group of games that have successfully implemented real-time castle construction.

Requirements: It actually ran "ok" on a P2 350 with a decent bit of ram. I have since upgraded to a Celeron 1000 (pathetically slow in today's terms, I know) with 512 ram, and this game runs perfectly.

Rating:
Summary: One of the best games I've played
Review: Let me start off saying that this game is absolutely superb. Although I did have to struggle a bit in the beginning learning some of the buttons and controls, it was worth it. This game is complex and simple at the same time -- which tells you that it is a special game.

You start off with small wooden keeps, which you must defend with archers and lightly armored foot soldiers. Slowly, you gain the ability to more advanced soldiers, like Crossbow men and macemen, and many more. The economic side is pretty straight forward, in order to make money you must raise taxes. But you can trade goods for gold or vice versa through a building which you will get in the middle part of the game. So if you have excess wood that you won't need, you can trade it for gold or something else.

Trust me, you will lose sleep over this Stronghold. Many hours will be consumed by this game, which is saying a lot these days. Buy this game, you won't regret it.

Rating:
Summary: the holy grail of strategy games
Review: My husband loves this game. This was purchased as a gift to entertain him while I waited for his real present Age of Mytholgy + expansion Age of Myth to arrive from the same makers of his beloved Ages of Empires. This should have been reversed, he plays Stronghold more than the other. Stronghold gives him the challenge he loves in his strategy games. Soon will come my challenge finding the next game to challenge him that can compare to his beloved Stronghold for he has almost finished this saga.
So if your loved one -loves strategy games try this. They will love this game especially if they are critical about war games that are not historically accurate. These warriors match the expressions, strategies, equipment, and dead cow throwing tactics of old - with a sense of humor. I even find myself repeating the warriors comments.

Rating:
Summary: Warchest....is great!!!
Review: Stronghold:Warchest is just like Rise of Nations,a game that RTS(Real Time Strategy)and TBS(Turn Based Strategy)joined forces to create a game like this.It is also features:

1.An extended Crusader Trail featuring the new AIs!
2.Eight new AIs for Crusader!
3.Two games on one CD at a low price!
4.And a Create-a-Scenario option,which lets you create your own missions!!

Ain't it great!!

-Trowa Barton

Rating:
Summary: Prepare to lose sleep
Review: This game is a rare one where you have to keep the people happy and fight off the enemy using almost very limited resources. The only complaint I have is that the manuals and the strategy guides for both games are on the CD. I would much rather prefer having a hard copy readily available rather read it on the computer.

Rating:
Summary: Warchest
Review: This game is very fun for about a month. You do all the missions, kill the kings, and pour oil on all the soldiers. After you've got a feel for the game; it's over. Without the missions it offers very little replay value. But it's a perfect for those hard to buy for 11-14 year old boys. The time they spend doing those missions will be the most fun time they've had playing computer games.

Rating:
Summary: Hours of FUN, FUN, FUN
Review: This pack includes the original Stronghold along with Stronghold: Crusader. Think of this as WarCraft II in medieval times. The game begins with a nice introduction and has an easily navigated menu system. It is a one player game but can be played over a network or Internet connection.

Play is very straightforward and there are help menus throughout. Game play is very fluid and exciting. It includes a set game with various campaigns to defeat the baddies. It also includes stand alone attacks and a great map editor. I can't say enough about the map editor as it lets you do 3-D terrain design (up to a point) and provides plenty of options. Perhaps the only disadvantage is that like all of these games the AI is limited and at times you find yourself yelling at the soldiers, "How can anyone be that dumb - take cover!"

Perhaps the coolest thing about this is being able to fight battles at real historical castles in Europe. They provide a brief historical description of the castle and its history and then you can kick derriere.

An added bonus is that there is a strong following of the game and an online community with whom you can exchange maps, engage in battle, participate in contests, etc. If you feel you are up for a medieval challenge and enjoy WarCraft, StarCraft type games this one will provide you with lots of entertainment.