Genre: Strategy/Role-Playing

Format: Download

Developer: Slitherine

Publisher: Freeverse Software

Minimum System Requirements: Mac OS X v10.3.9, 1GHz G4/G5/Intel Mac, 256MB RAM, 32MB video card 1GB hard drive space, internet connection (for net play) full version of Legion Arena

Review Computer: 1.8GHz G5 iMac 17", 512MB RAM, Nvidia GeForce FX 5200, Mac OS X v10.4.2, Internet connection (for net play)

Network Feature: Yes

Processor Compatibility Universal

Price: $14.95

ESRB Rating: M (Contains historically accurate violence and clothing (and sometimes lack thereof).)

Availability: Now

Here's the mini-review: If you enjoyed Legion Arena, then Cult of Mithras is a must-have expansion. Go buy it. Now.

If you're not familiar with the Legion Arena series, then you need these basics from that review:

Legion Arena delivers on most of its promises: bloodshed, tactical fighting, elephants, naked lunatics, and a historical depth seldom available outside of a textbook. A tactical warfare game with conventional and historical weapons, you assume the role of general, commanding your growing forces of militia, cavalry, and more. Over time, and with experience, new weapons are gained and progress is made toward a simplistic but not simple goal (but one worthy of the Roman army): world conquest. Slitherine has stripped out many of the complexities of gameplay that can distract the bloodthirsty gamer from the battle. No energy will be spent gathering resources to arm and strengthen your army; no time will be lost deciding which target to attack and how, and never will pesky foraging and resource development interfere. All that is left is pointing your men in the right direction and telling them to fight.

Cult of Mithras offers to build upon the historically weighty story line by adding fantastic creatures in battle, new imaginative weaponry, and a new game icon in your menu, featuring a helmeted skull. Where history runs out, because, as we know, Rome fell, Cult's designers took on the challenge at hand. Could they expand the game by inventing new countries to conquer, with the Roman armies extending into SimCity or across the sea to continents not yet known? No. Extend the game into the distant history with the London Times headline "Rome's armies topple Hitler!" or the Washington Post headline "Rome's armies take out Schwartzkopf!" No.

In fact, their solution seems obvious, now that we have the problem clearly laid out. They were practically forced to pull out bodies from under the earth rather than additional rows of small-town farm boys with pitchforks. Bring on flaming demons and undead soldiers, mythical creatures from the afterlife and armies inspired by the history of superstition across cultures!

It starts with a compelling story available at their download site, dragging you in with its uncharacteristically personal narrative. Two of your soldiers return from the final victory to report bad news. All of your soldiers believe they have seen omens that portend evil for the army. Like Caesar, you fear no man...or even the gods for that matter. You stand astride the world like a mighty Colossus, and no omen can scare you and no man can unseat you. Unsure of what to expect, you drive your men again into battle, cursing their weak superstitions. But who knew? Verging on the postmodern, rather than the simply post-Roman, you can find yourself battling flaming elephant-mounted soldiers or battalions of armed ghosts—ever so hard to hit. Your skills in balancing the attack are tested as severely as much as your ability to muster your men's courage to keep them on the battlefield.

But don't fear, all is not lost...entirely. You find yourself soon able to access additional weapons that seem to have some effect with your own army against these unknown enemies. Or, if that does not work out, you can always start a new campaign as one of the Mithras forces, leading your own dark battalions into battle.

The range of new forces available make the game an interesting improvement on the original, requiring new levels of problem solving. It is certainly more intense than Legion Arena. I found in early levels of Legion that no matter how I matched my forces up, they would win certain battles. And healing the casualties suffered never cost enough for me to worry about the ramifications. I would, on occasion, be lulled into a battle for which I was woefully unprepared and have my, umm, cassock handed to me rather quickly, but I could generally enter battle rather recklessly without consequence. In Cult of Mithras, these pairings and pre-battle preparations become crucial when you're facing a group like the ghost archers, which not only lack fear, but also are unable to be hit with your missile fire and stand up for themselves admirably in hand to hand combat too.

Cult of Mithras does not deliver new gameplay innovations, but instead a new level of interest to the original game. There remains an emphasis on strategy and planning over mere warfare, accented by intriguing new match-ups that change the way you must approach each scenario. Additionally, battles are occasionally extended beyond the initial scenario as new enemies approach before you've had the chance to rebuild your army. This further accents the need to plan in advance, making many of the scenarios rewarding cerebral challenges, rather than mere bloody clicks of a mouse.

For fans of strategy and planning warfare games, this is a must have improvement well worth the proportional cost of the original. The helpful Slitherine forums address major questions and strategy issues as well, and are a must-see for those who purchase Cult of Mithras.

Download Legion Arena: Cult of Mithras

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