by Tim - October 7, 2003

GSC Game World has once again created a powerful game to add to the Real Time Strategy genre, joining its widely successful Cossacks: European Wars. American Conquest delivers gamers a strategical challenge as well as a historically accurate storyline. With players being able to command up to 16,000 units and being able to build various detailed buildings, Conquest brings respect back to the genre.

Three Centuries of War

Covering the era between 1492 and 1813, American Conquest takes you through eight different campaigns from Columbus to the American Revolutionary War. Beginning with the exploration of the Americas from 1492-1502, players can lead the Spaniards under the command of Christopher Columbus to explore new worlds and battle the natives. If you want to jump further ahead in history, or after you beat the Columbus campaign, you can command the forces of the Spanish Empire under Pizarro in the bloody battles from 1532-1544 against the might of the Incan Empire, the strongest nation in all of South America.

Just to show how great American Conquest is, players can choose to be either side, the British or the French, for the Seven Years' War campaign, depicting the war for control of North American territory from 1756-1763. Both campaigns involve the same war, so you can beat it with the British, and then beat it again with the French.

One of the most anticipated campaigns would be the American War for Independence, known to many as the American Revolutionary War of 1775-1783. Players can choose to play as either the British Empire or the United States of America. As the British Empire, you must suppress the rebelling colonists and restore order. As the United States, you start off before the Declaration of Independence has been signed, forming your army and defeating the British armies for the independence of America.

The last two campaigns involve the United States and the Native American tribes of New England, following the story of Tecumseh, who tried to unite the Native American tribes into a nation called the Iroqois Confederation. With the British as their allies, their hope was to create a nation state that would maintain its presence in North America. Their failure to do so brought about their own destruction. You can choose to play as either the Native Americans or the United States of America.

American Conquest also offers nine single mission games, along with its random map games for multiplayer. The missions are all historically accurate and fun to play, providing hours and hours of gameplay.

Gameplay - Cossacks, in America?

American Conquest is built on the same engine as the "Cossacks" games, also by GSC Game World. This engine allows for massive amounts of units (up to 16,000!) from a player without slowing down the speed of the game. With thousands of troops at your disposal, it puts you in the mindset that you are controlling forces on a real battlefield.

Artillery is used to bombard targets from long range, but you must send your ground troops in to capture enemy buildings, and also leave several in reserve and to protect your vulnerable cannons.

Once you've gotten used to the engine, you can catch on pretty quick on how to do things. In a normal game, you'll start off by building a fort, and then building up your town around the fort. You build your workers in dwellings (houses), and send them to the fort (and later fortresses) to train as soldiers. Soldiers can garrison inside any building and shoot at attacking soldiers from inside; but be warned, enemy soldiers can enter the buildings and fight your soldiers that are garrisoned.

Terrain and objects on the map have a large effect on gameplay as well. It's good to position your artillery on higher ground, so they can fire longer distances. It's also good to keep soldiers positioned in treelines, firing at enemy units in open fields, so the enemy has a harder time hitting your troops. Troops can't fire through or over buildings either, they have to go around the buildings to hit targets (or go inside the buildings, in which there are certain arcs of fire through the windows and door).

Amazing Detail

Units and buildings in American Conquest have detail on a grand scale. Not only that, but the scenery is magnificent. GSC has done it again, bringing great detail to games capable of containing massive armies in the thousands and still maintaining smooth computer operation.

Maps are huge, they can be as big as 30x20 screens at 1024x768 screen resolution.

The game includes 100 different unit types and 106 buildings, all accurately detailed.

Sound Worthy of Recognition

The musical score for American Conquest is in itself worthy of recognition. It has a better soundtrack than most strategy games out today, and it doesn't get boring too easily. The soundtrack puts you in the mood of combat with muskets and cannons. It gives you the feel of the times, and sounds like music that would be in a movie from that era.

Bringing 'Strategy' Back to Real Time Strategy

In Conquest, there's no "rushing" like in most Strategy games. There is always a five minute peace time in any game you play, meaning players can't attack in the first five minutes of the game. This peace time can be extended up to four hours, if players want really long and massive games. A range of factors will determine a complete victory for the players, including managing resources such as food, wood, stone, gold, and coal; taking over enemy buildings and citizens; long range artillery and tactical formations in armies, as well as morale, food supplies, equipment, and mercenaries which can be hired to assist your armies. Another interesting factor is that when buildings begin to burn, they keep burning unless your workers repair them. Your workers are also needed to train into soldiers, by sending them into your forts or fortresses. There are so many upgrades in this game, it would be impossible to use all of them unless you plan on playing a really long and drawn out game, like many of the hardcore strategy gamers love to do.

Wrapping it up

So, the sound is great, the graphics are nice and smooth, the multiplayer is all right and even has its own rating system. It has historical accuracy with hours of gameplay, and players can continue devising different strategies to win. The only downside is the-hard-to-get-used-to controls. A "Cossacks" fan would probably be able to catch on quick, but I give it a 15-minute learning curve for average strategy gamers, and even more if this is your first strategy game. But don't worry, it's well worth it. The hours upon hours of gameplay will definitely make up for it.

Look for my review of American Conquest's expansion, Fight Back, coming out this month!