Imperialism 2 is the sequel to the 1997 game of the same name, and similarly is a strategic conquest game that takes place between the 1500’s and mid 1800’s. Here you are the leader of an Old World power, either France, England, Holland, Spain, Sweden or Portugal, and are in charge of claiming at least half of 16th century Europe for your own in a grand empire state.
Along with military dominance, players will find themselves making more political and economic decisions to further your cause. Abusing and manipulating lesser nations, including many colonies is predominant as well.
By influencing the lesser nations, such as Germany, Scotland, Ireland, Denmark, Switzerland and Italy, the player will be able to further his empire by convincing the other nations to ally together in attempt to further your eventual conquest over the area. At first, only the Old World map is visible, but as the name implies, exploration plays a key role. The New World that you will discover however, will always be generated randomly, and must be discovered before it can be colonized. Expanding your empire is essential, as is exploiting your neighboring countries.
The game is turn based, similar to risk, in which you will have control over many units such as cavalry and artillery. The game sports single and multi-player functions, and can be played on a fairly
accurate representation of 16th century Europe, or on completely random maps and worlds. Imperialism 2 tries to historically represent the world in the 16th century, and does a fairly accurate job. Units display this well, with accurate representations of what was available at the time. Strategic mentality is also fairly accurate, as the idea of manipulating the other nations was predominant in the real world during this period. Visually, the game is quite appealing, and the music and sound is done rather well also.
The game play itself however can be rather complex. With the player’s attention always shifting to political, military and economic problems, some may find the game too much to handle, but players will find that with a bit of practice, reading, and patience, victory over your enemy nations will be swift and just. Imperialism 2 is a well-designed game that can be very fun and frustrating at the same time. The Challenges of the game are always changing, and the game will play out quite differently every time you pick it up.
