In 2002, Firefly`s Stronghold Crusader was heralded as one of the finest real time strategy castle-building games in the business. Now comes the Stronghold Crusader Extreme with a bang, with much advanced graphics and a whole lot of new skirmishes thrown in for good measure.

The new gaming engine makes its mark with highly advanced precision levels, making the game more captivating than its predecessors.

If you`ve never played a Stronghold game, the premise is simple. Build a castle, a community and a big army, then set out to knock down your enemies` fortresses while safeguarding your own.

A deep, yet intuitive, settlement management system ensures that building up your fortress, economy and troop numbers is simplicity squared.

Farms, hunting lodges and wells must be constructed to feed your citizens, while stone, wood and ore must be mined and stockpiled before expansion can commence. The array of fortifications that you can tack onto your castle is remarkable.

However, a major problem arises once the combat kicks off, and it`s here that Stronghold Crusader Extreme disappointed me somewhat. When the two armies clash they congeal into a giant, mishmash of colours that bear little resemblance to warriors at loggerhead! But the advanced control interface makes it easy for you to identify and control your troops. The choice of missions abounds with options ranging from extremely fierce to mild ones that require little strategy.

Missions start with building up settlements, but within minutes, you`re attacked by massed enemy forces that often wipe you out in the blink of an eye. So keeping your wits together is a prerequisite. Building up your own empire and fortifying your territory is sheer fun, but if you don`t consider yourself to be in the top 10 per cent of Stronghold players on the planet, chances are you`ll find little enjoyment from the new Extreme content. Still, buying this edition was money well spent, at least for me!

— M. Jalal Awan