Fight Like a Samurai in 'SHOGUN: Total War'.

• Author: Silbergeld, David LL.
• Position: Simulation game - Software Review - Brief Article - Evaluation

Japan in 1542 was a land in disarray. The previous shogunate to rule the country had collapsed, dividing the nation into seven warring factions. The warrior who would become shogun would be determined by samurai warfare on an epic scale.

If you haven't read Sun Tzu's Art of War, you're going to get a real-rime strategy lesson with this simulation game, entitled "SHOGUN: Total War." You will command thousands of samurai warriors, incorporating a unique AI (Artificial Intelligence) that respond to many of Sun Tzu's guidelines (actually utilizing 220 rules) to determine game behavior and reaction.

This is a combined strategy-tactical combat sim that allows you to rake almost any role, whether daimyo, chief, or general of any one of seven Japanese clans, each modeled on real history. Each clan is given a color designation for depiction on a strategic map.

The game proceeds in four seasonal turns per year, during which you build your armies and their logistics bases, maneuver and conduct diplomacy: The sim incorporates a 3-D tactical engine to resolve battles, one at a time.

In the strategic portion of the sim, your concern centers on building your domain and assembling forces, preparing for the battle. Each clan makes its moves simultaneously, creating a lot of "if's" in your game plan. You are plagued by ronin (rogue samurai) which are really bandits, who can cause you to waste assets while subduing them. You fight battles in 3-D battlefields, where the accelerated graphics, accompanied by weather and terrain variations, provide challenging tactical problems.

The game is best played in high density (1024x7680) mode, with full-install (1.4 GB) setting. The best feature is that no two games will ever be the same, considering the different force configurations that...