This new (stand-alone) game covers the period from about the 11^th Century through to the 14^th century, with a story line based around the crusades. Crusader impresses immediately on load up, with a large number of game play options available. There is a 50 mission campaign, 4 historical campaigns, a custom skirmish game, a free castle build option (and yes, once you have built it you can arrange to have your castle attacked), a tutorial and a multi-player mode (with the ability to have AI opponents). Couple all these options with the inherent replayability of the game and you are certainly getting a lot for your money!

There is a crisp Options screen with a minimum of intro to the game (they seem to have gone for less fluff and more game). Game play has not changed at all from the original, although it must be said that this is not a bad thing - the old "if it ain't broke, don't fix it" adage comes into play here! The simple interface and intuitive layout make it very easy to find what you need to build your castle - a particular blessing during the campaign, as the action starts off thick and fast, with time being of the essence in most of the missions. All your old favourites (towers, tar pits, spike traps, ballistas, etc) are here and yes, you can still load cows into the trebuchet ("moonitions"). So what have they changed?

Well, there are numerous additional units and features (which we will discuss later) but the most fundamental changes are the tile set and the AI. The game setting now places you in the deserts and more often than not you are competing for the only available land around the local oasis.

The graphics are the same 2 dimensional isometric view with the previous innovative compass view switching. Again there is quite a bit of attention to detail to ensure that you are drawn into the game and the period. The nice touches of animation on the buildings and farms make this game a pleasure just to watch. You will get to see your minions struggle to go about their daily lives and professions. Bakers stride to the stock pile then struggle back under the weight of the sack of flour. They then mix and knead the dough, into the oven etc. This aspect really sets the game apart from other RTS games where buildings are largely inanimate objects. This humanising of your castle and its people ensures that you have a real rapport with what you have built and makes the game that much more engrossing.