Full Review

22 June 2004 - On the surface Warlords Battlecry III is your average fantasy Real Time Strategy game with hero characters, base building and the usual resource management tactics. However, delving further into the game brings some gaming niceties that will revive old hands looking for something to fuel their summer gaming.

Continuing with the same themes as Warlord Battlecry II, III once again sees you pitting the wits of Elves against Orcs, against Minotaurs and knights. Like other RTS games, each race has its strengths and weaknesses like beer for the dwarfs that gives them increased strength and speed for a limited time and playing those strengths to the full advantage will decide whether you carve your way through the campaign mode or struggle from the start. To gain extra practice you can opt to play the skirmish mode and game supports up to five other enemy foes on the same map. Linking the skirmish mode with the multiplayer options means that you have full control over maps, races, AI's abilities and even more detailed elements such as the conditions of victory.

Before you opt to go into battle you get to pick your hero character. The hero character brings an element of roleplay into the game you can develop your character further either growing him into a muscle man or mage. Skill points, which can be assigned how you want, are awarded for battle prowess and it if you want it to can give some purpose to the long drawn out games.

Graphics aren't anything special against other RTS games in the genre although the difference in characters between the races is enough to give you plenty of eye candy, especially the Orcs.

VERDICT
While this isn't anything groundbreaking for the genre it is well polished giving fans enough to carry them through the summer games drought. The range of maps, including the cavern maps where its all about close combat is a breath of fresh air. Sadly with Ground Control 2 taking care of the non-fantasy realms, and Perimeter bringing forward one original feature, Warlords Battlecry III really is only for the Lord of the Rings loving mythologists.