The unit AI is a mix of good and bad.  The units are pretty smart in battle - archers know enough to fall back when soldiers get too close, for example.  However, getting a large force of mixed units across the map can be a trial at times.  If units approach a chokepoint in anything but a column formation, they'll bunch up and get stuck.  It can then be a chore trying to get them to form into a column and get through the gap, and usually requires a retreat back to a wide open area before they can get their act together.  It is also tricky at times to get a mixed-unit force to the front as one cohesive force, especially since the mounted units move so much more quickly than the foot soldiers.

As mentioned earlier, the game itself looks pretty good.  Maps feature mountains, valleys, shorelines, and more, and the terrain features all affect unit movement and combat.  The camera controls work pretty well, and allow you to pan back for a wide view or zoom in for an up close look.  You'll probably spend most of your time at the medium zoom level, though, as when you get very close in the textures tend to become very pixilated and terrain features tend to obscure too much of the action.  The camera does suffer from a major drawback, though.  If you click on the minimap to move the view to a new location, the camera scrolls its way to the new point.  There is no way to directly jump to the new location, which can cause issues when fighting on multiple fronts.  Also, while units can be grouped and assigned to hotkeys, there is no way to jump to a unit group.  You'll find yourself having to make your best guess as to their location, wait as the view scrolls to that location, and then hunt around a little to find exactly where they are.

One final warning about the game is that the minimum system requirements specified by the game are actually too low.  While you can run the game on a lower end system, you'll have to put up with very long load times and choppy framerates.  While the framerate improves on faster systems, the load times still will run on the long side.

Overall, the game's shortcomings can prove frustrating at times, but it still can be compelling.  The large cities and expansive landscapes give the game a unique feel.  The multiple objectives that appear as a mission plays out also serve to make the game more interesting and to keep you interested in playing through the longer missions.  While the areas in which it falls short might prove to be too large an obstacle for those new to strategy gaming, RTS veterans should definitely consider giving it a look.

In The End, This Game Hath Been Rated: 70%.  An ambitious game that falls a bit short on execution, Warrior Kings is not suited to casual gamers but RTS veterans may find it intriguing.

System Requirements:  Pentium III 500;  128 MB RAM;  16 MB Video RAM; 16x CD-ROM;  750 MB Hard Drive Space;  Mouse.

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