Mediaval Total War is a thoroughly absorbing game that takes a few new elements while sticking to the eminently successful formula of the original game.

This time you are the ruling sovereign trying to keep your empire growing during the turbulent Middle Ages. It is the time of The Crusaders, knights in shining armour and peasants with rather large warts in all sorts of embarassing places.

If you haven't seen Shogun then it is worth covering the basics. In Mediaval you wage war by controlling massive armies, overseeing stronghold construction and engaging in spying, political subterfuge and diplomacy. This is set in motion in the map mode, which takes a turn-based approach and works on territories. However in Mediaval there is then the 3d combat aspect of the game which you get to resolve once you have made the overarching strategic decisions about your ongoing campaign. Having sent your armies in to occupy or besiege enemy territory the game then thoughtfully pops you in the midst of a 3d real time formation based combat mode where literally thousands of troops thrash it ou the good old-fashioned way with sharpened steeland belief in the Almighty.

There are three principal unit types and each unit type is good at dispatching a particular enemy and susceptible to an attack from another type. Cavalry and especially Knights are great at mowing down archers, but are vulnerable to spearmen. Archers are superb at cutting down other slow moving footsloggers, but can be ripped to shreds by a fast moving cavalary charge.

Geography has also been factored into action. If you attack one province, say a mountains region such as Scotland from a flatter area like the North of England, then the ingame action map will reflect this putting your troops at the bottom of a huge hill. There are also historical campaigns which take the form of quick scenarios you can play in strategic mode by itself.

Mediaval is the only 'serious' real time war game better than Shogun and will challenge you on a strategic and tactical level.