The GameDaily One-Minute Review

Using cunning strategy in both politics and on the battlefield, Medieval II: Total War brings updated graphics and gameplay to the Medieval era of the Total War series. Players need to win victories on and off the battlefield by taking over territories, spreading religion, maintaining diplomatic relations, and staying on the Pope's good side. Then there's the Total War experience of seeing hundreds of units blanket the battlefield and watching them clash in hand-to-hand combat. There are still some strange artificial intelligence quirks in both the turn-based and real-time aspects of the game, and it appears that the Total War franchise is starting to steer away from more casual players who would prefer a little less realism in their game. Still, Medieval II presents a great challenge and keeps the Total War series running at full strength!