Ballistics Report

Pros

Map
The main map is an attractive 2D isometric affair, a rare treat in today’s 3D worlds.

Strategic gameplay
The game’s strategic aspect is deep, forcing the player to keep tabs on his leaders, family, cities, armies, diplomacy, kingdom advantages, trade, rebels, piety … in short, there are plenty of tasks to keep one busy.

Real-time
Though it has as many disadvantages as advantages, the real-time nature of the strategic campaign is a welcome change of pace and creates new challenges.

Cons

AI
The AI isn’t particularly bad – it can build up a decent-sized kingdom though it has difficulty maintaining it. It’s simply obnoxious, because it constantly makes diplomatic demands of the player, punishing his Kingdom Power if he approves or decline the wrong ones, and when a war starts, it’s always a gangbang.

Battles
The battles themselves aren’t any more engaging than the graphics are.

Ultimate Emperor of Europe
OK, we’re not really docking the game marks for trying to make the player achieve the title of “Ultimate Emperor of Europe”, but we should on grounds of good taste and simple human decency.