Revival

Usually, if would-be dictators or genocidal megalomaniacs want to act out their egotistical ambitions, then the general rule of thumb is for them to form their own party, whip up support through their dark charms, and then negotiate the fraught political minefield by fair means or foul – all the while hoping that this will afford them the opportunity to gain a position from where one day they can attempt to conquer the world.

Instead, they could take a quicker, less dangerous route – one which won't damage their reputation quite as much – by unleashing their desire for conquest and control via a bout of an engaging god game. After all, classic games of yesteryear such as Civilization, Populous and Ancient Empires 2 have been rather good at stoking our need for conquest, warmongering and control, without causing anything nastier than sore thumbs.

Is that good work set to continue with Revival from Herocraft, a strategy god-sim that owes much to the aforementioned titles? Sadly, although well put together, we'd have to say the game falls some way short of its legendary forefathers.

First off, it's important to note that Revival asks you to display more of the scientist and explorer within you than the warrior, in contrast to something like the battle-orientated Ancient Empires 2. This means the action is less than intense much of the time. Expect to be constructing towns while you develop your people's understanding of the sciences, keeping an eye on your trade resources and trying to maintain your empire's standing.

Two game modes are offered. Single is a quick-start affair, where you choose a map with your home city already built for you. You select how many opponents you'll be up against, and away you go.

The main game, however, is Campaign mode. Here, all you have at your disposal to begin with is an emissary. The idea is to move the emissary around the screen via the thumbstick, slowly building up a picture of the map as the terrain comes into view.

You can move your emissary a limited number of times before you have to end your turn and the game moves on to the next year. Be careful with him, though, because if your emissary dies at any point, it's game over.

First, you must occupy a city, and then the improvements can commence. You start these off by building a school, which then enables you to invest time and money into researching new units such as archers and miners, as well as other buildings. As time goes by, you increase your technological status, going from simple archers to tanks and onwards to mechanised walking machines of destruction.

It's not all plain sailing, mind, as you aren't just left alone to quietly progress your civilisation. When rival tribes spot an opportunity they'll attack your settlement, which gives the game a measure of the wanton violence us despots are typically after.

Presentation-wise, the graphics are small but clear, with a good level of detail packed into them. Sonically, too, Revival creates a really good sense of tension, with a decent musical score that changes depending on whether you are in the in-game menu, deciding on what building to research, or in the main view, as you direct your emissary through the foreign lands. The menu system isn't as well designed as it could be, though, and it can get a little confusing in terms of remembering where you need to go.

There are other niggles. One issue rears its head when you have the 'end of turn' set to automatic, so that when you're controlling a number of different units and you've depleted the movement for a unit on that particular turn, the game switches to the next one.

The problem here is that the game gives you no warning and you'll find yourself moving the newly selected unit in the same direction you were moving the other one, wasting valuable time before you can change direction. It's particularly frustrating when you are trying to organise your units into some kind of defence from an unexpected ambush.

Periods of not really knowing what in blazes you are doing when you first begin Revival might also put off some players. Keep at it, however, and you'll find a fair amount of depth, albeit in a game that still doesn't quite do enough to take over your world.