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Publisher:  Genre: Strategy & War
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Mac OS X: 10.2 Mac OS Classic: Not Supported
CPU: G3 @ 800 MHz RAM: 64 MB Graphics: 16 MB VRAM |
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The Gameplay
Installation of Celtic Kings is a breeze. The entire game takes under 600 MB of drive space. I have tested this title on a Powerbook G4 1.24 and a Dual G5 2.0. Both systems played the game well.
When you first start Celtic Kings and have entered all of your product serial keys and game codes, you are presented with a scrolling drawn graphic. At first this seemed very out of touch for a title like this. But the intricate drawing and design of the artwork is rather good and it's only for the menu screens. There is a tutorial that I suggest only because gameplay in Celtic Kings is different from other RTS's like WarCraft, Rise of Nations, Age of Empires, etc. My problem with the tutorial is that communication with another character, say the Druid teaching you how to do everything, requires clicking on some nearly impossible to hit pixel hidden within a exclamation point graphic floating above the character's head. In fact, after 10 to 15 attempts to communicate with the tutorial NPC, I almost gave up and consider it a bug. It's frustrating and time consuming, but unless you like reading manuals you will need the brief tutorial to get a feel of how to play.
Once you have completed the tutorial you are ready to unleash yourself upon the world. In Adventure mode, you play a Gaul hero whose village was plundered and family killed by the Romans and Teutons. You must adventure throughout the land and save the Gaul nation, and, of course, seek your revenge. This game mode is very structured. You have specific quests to complete, one on each new map. It was a very informative lesson is history and you do learn how to command your units and some of the balances of the game as you pair up with other Gaul tribes and villages.
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If you enjoy Celtic history a game that makes you think and play on a level field where you can get hurt, die, and have to start over, then Adventure mode is for you. It was rather challenging at all levels of game play, and it should provide hours of gaming enchantment to get through it all.
In Strategic mode, you play against your friends--via LAN or Internet multiplayer--or against computer opponents. When you create a game you have a myriad of game settings that control the map type, bonus resources to start the game with, map size, season, fog, caves, and the like. You really can make each game very different. When playing in Strategic mode you have a few options to determine the end of the game. Elimination is an obvious choice, but you can also limit the game by score or time based on your military rating. I prefer good old-fashioned world conquest, so I typically play for elimination of all other opponents. There are over 50 unit types in Celtic Kings and numerous structures. If you get confused mid-game, there is an excellent in-game help system, as well as an easy out to a menu level where you can save, reload, and restart you campaign. The manual is very clear, and will sell out the basics of what is going on, but the instant built-in help is best for gameplay issues.
Gameplay is surprisingly hard at times. One major difference between Celtic Kings and other RTS's is the need for food. You cannot easily move an army across a map without providing a caravan of food to feed it. While realistic, I was unprepared for the first time my army of 60 dwindled to a meager attack force of less than a dozen very weak soldiers. Food logistics is paramount to keeping your troops happy, healthy, and in good fighting shape. When no food is available, your units slowly starve and loose health, and eventually perish. Once food is restored, they will begin to regenerate back to their former strength. It was also hard to pinpoint what combinations of the 55 unit types work best for a given situation.
You also have a chance to develop specific heroes and take them up a level. In Celtic Kings a hero is capable of commanding his or her own army, meaning you just click the hero and give the orders and the hero will tell the troops assigned to them what to do. Heroes can also order formations of troops when going into a battle, a subtlety that is required to succeed at the harder difficulty settings. Heroes also make groups of untrained warriors fight better than if they were on their own. Another major RTS difference is that along with killing foes for experience you can train your men and heroes. This is a nice touch, but be forewarned: training leaves you at the brink of death. I guess they really do bash one another over the head with swords, and this means you need a few moments to recuperate before heading out to kick some enemy butt.
The opponent AI allows for assignment of personalities. While I did not really notice a huge different amongst the options, the enemy AI is not awful and in fact can give you a good run for your money.
I would have liked to explore the multiplayer more thoroughly, but I found no one else to play with online. It would be nice to have some level of compatibility with one of the online game services like GameRanger or GameSmith.
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